Learning How To Die
by isis-sg1
Summary: The team learn that every lie comes with consequences, and it's Tony that pays the price. Takes place during season 4 COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

Yay! New story :) I know it's been a while but I hope this makes up for it. I know i've completely ignored my story Flight of Icarus but I have no idea where I am going with it. If anyone wants to help me finish it feel free to email me. I really hope you like this story, please read and review.

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Tony yawned dramatically, stretching his arms out into the air and leaning back in his chair as far as it could go. He sighed satisfactorily and then turned to spy on his co-workers who were trying their best to ignore him. Just another Friday evening he told himself. They'd finished a case a couple of hours ago and it was only the paperwork left. It was already dark outside and Tony was desperate to leave.

"Probie!" Tony cried, making McGee jump in his seat. Tony smiled as McGee looked up with a glare. "Any plans for the weekend?"

"Just the usual," McGee answered wearily.

"Ah," Tony sounded, "The Continuing adventures of LJ Tibbs?" Tony questioned in a deep, over the top voice. He leaned his elbow on the desk and dropped his head into his hand. "How're Tommy and Lisa doing anyway?" McGee didn't answer and looked back down at his paperwork.

"Zee-vah?" Tony called, knowing Ziva hated it. She also glared as she looked up. "Weekend plans?"

"Yes," Ziva answered curtly.

Tony rolled his eyes, "And they would be?" He prompted.

"None of your business," She responded.

"Shopping for food and cleaning your apartment?" He asked.

She looked at him in surprise, "How did you-?" She didn't finish her sentence.

"I never reveal my sources," He smiled mysteriously. It was obvious to Tony what Ziva would have planned, when really he needed to do the same. They'd barely been home in a week and the only things he had in his fridge were half a piece of mouldy cheese and a couple of slices of last week's pizza. She shook her head and looked back down at her desk. Tony coughed loudly for attention, when nothing happened he coughed again.

Ziva sighed and looked up, looking very annoyed, "What!" She snapped.

"Aren't you going to ask me about my weekend plans?" He pouted and put on his best neglected look.

"Fine," She sighed, "What are your plans for the weekend?"

"Chrissie," Tony said excitedly.

Ziva rolled her eyes, "I should have known."

"I'll have you know, she's my golf instructor."

"You play golf?" Ziva frowned.

"Nope," Tony shook his head, but didn't elaborate.

"Okay," Gibbs spoke as he walked into the squad room, "You're free to go," Gibbs told his team. They all relaxed instantly and began tidying up their desks. "_If, _you've finished your reports," Gibbs added. They groaned and sat back down in their seats as they emailed their reports and printed off a hard copy.

Ziva watched Tony print off his report, "I haven't seen you do any work all evening! When did you get time to write your report?" She questioned.

"Work smarter, not harder Zee-vah!" It was one of his favorite mottos and one that always served him well. Only Gibbs knew how he managed to get his work done without lifting a finger and he liked it that way. He couldn't give away all his secrets. "Here ya go boss," Tony handed his report to him and Gibbs nodded approvingly.

"Go on then, get out of here before I change my mind," he told the trio.

"Yes!" Tony exclaimed as he rushed to grab his stuff.

"You seem more excited than usual," McGee raised an eyebrow.

"You would be too if you saw her, Probie," Tony waggled his own eyebrows suggestively back at McGee.

"How long's this one going to last?"

"How long's a golf course?" Tony quipped as he slung his backpack over one shoulder and turned off his desk lamp.

McGee shook his head, "I'm not even going to dignify that remark."

"Please don't," Tony replied. He smiled widely and joined the others by the elevator. They waited in silence for it to arrive and then all stepped inside. McGee pressed the button for the garage. "I do hope you two have fun with your feather dusters and antique typewriters this weekend," Tony said as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. "And I'll be content in the knowledge that I'll be having a better time than both of you." He began to walk to his car as the others did the same. He stopped and turned to his co-workers, "See you Monday," He waved goodbye then turned back to his car. His car was at the other end of the parking lot, one of the disadvantages of turning up to work late. He walked silently through the half of the lot. A sound behind him made him spin round, a hand on the gun at his waist. He searched the immediate area but there was nothing. Just his mind playing tricks on him. He sighed, turned back and kept on walking. Pressing the button on his car keys unlocked the car from fifteen feet away and it beeped, the rear lights flashing. He opened the door and climbed in, throwing his backpack on the adjacent seat and slamming the door behind him. He was slotting the key in the ignition when there was a loud bang on the window. Tony jumped in surprise, his head hitting the ceiling. His heart began to race as he spun towards the noise and he sighed in relief when he saw a familiar face. He rolled down the window while he simultaneously rubbed his sore head.

"You trying to give me a heart attack Jenny?" Tony asked, as he tried to breathe. His heart was still racing.

"Glad I can still make someone jump around here, Jethro knows I'm coming from a mile off," Director Sheppard smirked.

"Is there something you wanted or is jumping out at people in empty parking lot part of your job description?"

Jenny laughed, "There was something I wanted."

"Yeah?"

"I was coming to check that you were ready for tonight," She explained.

Tony turned serious, "I've been ready all week, Jenny."

"Okay Tony, just making sure you're well rested. Tonight's plans will require all your energy."

"I know."

"Do the rest of the team suspect anything?"

"Nope, we have them all fooled."

"Good, so I'll see you at nine?"

"On the dot," Tony confirmed.

"Okay," She smiled. "See you then."

Tony nodded. He watched Jenny walk away before starting the car and driving home. He had big plans for tonight and he needed to be prepared.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! Thank you for all those great reviews - please keep it up!

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Jenny Shepard placed the phone back in the cradle and took in a deep breath. Her next task wasn't something she ever expected to do and she was dreading it. The weekend had passed and she couldn't hold off any longer. The team needed to know, she just wished it wasn't her that had to give them the bad news. She stood up and composed herself. She walked past her secretary silently and then along the mezzanine that over looked Gibbs and his team. They were working quietly like it was another Monday. One chair was empty and the furtive glances Gibbs was sending to the vacant desk told Jenny that Gibbs knew something was up. Tony was often late for work, but by ten minutes not an hour. She took the stairs one at a time, slowing down to delay the inevitable. She took in another deep breath before addressing the team.

"Jethro, Ziva, McGee," Jenny began, gaining the attention of the three agents. Gibbs stood up and walked up to Jenny. McGee and Ziva looked up from their work, equally curious as to what Jenny had to say. "I have some bad news," she swallowed.

"What is it Jen?" Gibbs asked. Jenny saw Gibbs eyes flicker to Tony's desk for a second.

"Friday night, Tony was involved in an undercover operation that had been in the works for a couple of months. That night everything came to a head and there was a massive fire fight in a warehouse just outside of town," Jenny paused and took in the concerned faces watching her. "Tony was caught in the crossfire and received bullet wounds to the chest and gut. I'm so sorry Jethro, his injuries were fatal, he died at Bethesda early Saturday morning," Jen dropped her head, unable to see the grief in their eyes.

Ziva fixated her gaze on a distant point, a wall built up between herself and the room. She wasn't going to let anyone see her grieve for her fallen comrade and friend. McGee didn't know where to look, his mind still processing the information; he looked to Ziva but was ignored. The shock of the unexpected news made his hands shake; he fisted his hands, crossed his arms tight against his chest and tried to breathe.

Gibbs stepped closer to Jenny. "Why did you wait till now to tell me?" His voice low and dangerous. Jenny knew he wasn't angry at her, he was angry at the people that killed his lead agent. She also knew he wasn't going to stop until he found the killer and brought him to justice, or killed him depending on much he'd calmed down by then.

"What difference would it have made?"

"Tony died Saturday. So waiting to tell me Monday morning in the middle of a busy squad room is a good idea?"

"I was in shock too, Jethro. He was one of my agents and he was a friend!"

"A friend?"

"A lot changed while you were in Mexico, Jethro," Jenny held back the tears that were threatening to surface. "He was a good man."

"Yes," Gibbs swallowed hard, "Yes, he was."

"I'll understand if you all need some time alone. The funeral will be on Wednesday. Why don't you all take some time off until then?"

"And let Tony's killer skip the country while we put our feet up?" Gibbs asked, stepping back into Jenny's personal space.

Jenny took a step back, "It's there if any of you want it."

"I want answers," Gibbs replied, "Why wasn't I told about this op? Where was Tony's back up when it all went wrong? And what else haven't you told me about?"

Jenny took a step back as Gibbs barraged her with questions, "I'll hand over any files pertinent to the case."

"I want everything you have on the undercover mission and Friday's op. I want to know every player, every one who works for them and every single person who was there that night and I want it now. Too many slip ups have been made on this case already and those slip ups cost my senior field agent his life," Gibbs growled.

He turned and stormed off. He punched the elevator with more force than necessary and stepped into the car as soon as the doors opened. As soon as the doors closed he flicked the emergency stop switch. He leant one arm against the wall, closed his eyes and dropped his head. He stayed still for over five minutes, silently breathing in and out, trying to come to terms with the news. He wasn't going to display his grief in front of his team but Tony was like a son to him, and knowing he was dead, knowing he'd died because he hadn't been there to back Tony up was too much to take in.

He wasn't ready for this; He wasn't ready for Tony to die. He always expected that he and Tony would work together until Tony got his own team and then he would finally be forced into retirement, although sometimes when Tony was missing or lying unconscious in the hospital it seemed more of a silly dream. Tony always seemed to have nine lives, always managing to escape from dangerous situations with a cheesy grin. Now it seemed those nine lives had all been used up.

After a moment he lifted his head and scrubbed at his face hard. It was up to him to break the news to Abby and Ducky, but he wasn't sure if he was up to seeing Abby's heartbroken tears and Ducky's pain filled eyes. He flicked the switch on and let the elevator descend to Abby's floor.

He stepped into her lab and was instantly assaulted by her random ramblings and her loud music, she was jumping round the room excitedly, jabbering on about a new piece of equipment. She stopped suddenly and her face fell, she recognized the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Gibbs didn't know how to break the news and the longer he stayed silent the more panicked Abby became. "It's bad isn't it?" She shook her head, "Is it Tim? Please don't tell me it's Timmy."

"It's Tony," Gibbs finally spoke. A hand flew to her mouth as she gasped loudly and she dropped into the nearest chair in shock.

"Is he...is he okay?" She asked.

Gibbs shook his head, "No... I'm sorry Abs." He swallowed as he began to tell her the story, "He was involved in an undercover operation at the weekend, he received injuries that were fatal." Tears began to form in Abby's eyes and Gibbs turned away, unable to see her so sad. She grabbed the hair bands and pulled on them hard, destroying her pigtails. Gibbs walked towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She stood slowly and wrapped herself around him tightly, drying her tears on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay Abs." He lifted a hand and gently stroked her lose hair.

"How can it ever be okay?" She replied.

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I'm sorry! please don't hurt me!!! - please please please keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

again, thank you for all the reviews - i'm sorry for blindsiding all of you with the last chapter - just trust me and stick with this story - I promise you won't be dissapointed.

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Ducky found Ziva sitting at the bar, two empty beer bottles and several shot glasses sitting on the surface next to her and another half empty glass in her hand. He made his way through the maze of tables towards her. He took off his rain soaked coat and hat and placed them on the nearest stool.

"Hello my dear," he spoke. He slipped onto the spare stool, ignoring his protesting muscles. He was too old for stools. He raised a hand at the bartender and ordered a single malt whiskey.

She waited for the bartender to return with his drink before speaking. "Ducky," she replied.

"People are looking for you."

"I've been here," she answered, taking a sip of the clear liquid in her glass. Ducky suspected it wasn't water.

"It's been a big shock," Ducky began, "I don't think I believed Jethro, when he first told me," he confessed, "Anthony was…well he was like Jethro, you expected him to always be there."

"How can you? How can you just put him in the past tense like that?" She asked.

"I'm afraid it's a habit grown from working in my profession," he explained. "Has your chosen profession not produced any similar habits?"

She shook her head, "This is different."

"How so, my dear?"

"The death I've seen, caused…I knew it was coming. I'm in the middle of a firefight casualties are expected. I expect the body of my friend, lying on the floor riddled with bullets. I knew my brother was going to die before I put a bullet in his head. But Friday evening Tony and I were bickering like the day before that and the day before that and like everyday since I walked into the office and now I'll never see him again," she downed the rest of her drink.

He watched her as her finger traced the rim of the glass. His own glass sat in front of him untouched. The ice cubes half melted in the amber liquid. She smiled and turned to Ducky, "I thought he was ill."

Ducky was taken aback, "You did?"

She shrugged, "I knew he was hiding something, secret phone calls, disappearing in the middle of cases, he had this hospital bracelet."

"I never noticed."

"It's funny, I always thought I could tell when he was lying to me, but he's been lying to me this whole time…he _was_ I mean," she gave Ducky a weak smile, "He was lying to all of us."

Ducky looked away, "Yes, yes he was."

"Is it wrong…that even though he's…" she swallowed, "Dead, I'm still angry at him for lying to me?"

"No," Ducky answered honestly. "I'm struggling with similar feelings myself," he admitted. "Not that his death hasn't grieved me. A world without Anthony will be a…dull one," he slid back off the stool. He put his hat back on his head and pulled on his coat. He dipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out his wallet. Enough money for his and her drinks was placed on the bar and then the wallet was put back in his coat pocket.

"Ziva?"

"Yes Ducky?"

"If there's any way I can help you to find peace, you know where to find me."

A hand went to the Star of David pendant around her neck and she rubbed the smooth metal, "Yes," she nodded, "Yes I do, thank you Ducky."

A hand fell on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You're welcome my dear," she turned back to the bar as he walked away, ignoring the chill where his hand had been.

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"Okay," McGee began as he re-entered the room, his arms hugging a pile of magazines, "I know you won't be leaving the corner for a while." He addressed the shadowy corner of the lab, "So I've got you like, a gallon of Caff-Pow, a pile of magazines," he dropped the pile onto the floor, "And Bert for when you need a hug." He placed the stuffed hippo on her lap. "Anything else you need? I can go get some burgers if you're hungry," he suggested.

"McGee," Abby's head appeared from the shadows, "Really I'm fine."

"No, you're huddled in a corner, that's far from fine," he argued.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What?"

"What about you?" she repeated, "You keep looking after me, when are you going to look after yourself?"

"Look," he sat down on the floor in front of her, "Your way of dealing with things is hiding in a dark corner, mine's staying busy so I don't think about it."

Abby titled her head to one side, "It's hard not to think about it."

"I don't think it's sunk in yet. I keep expecting him to burst through the door and call me 'Probie.'"

"Me too," Abby squeezed the hippo against her and it let out a large raspberry sound.

"You know, when Kate died," McGee began, "It was Tony that kept me busy, he just knew that's what I needed."

"Do you know how many Caff-Pows he brought me after Kate? Sometimes-" Abby smiled, "They would just appear from nowhere, no note, no nothing. I knew it was him though."

McGee frowned and shook his head, "How did he do it?"

"Bring me Caff-Pows? I was probably just out of the room when he-"

"I'm not talking about that," he interrupted, "He called me names, ridiculed my apartment, my clothes, you name it, he made a joke about it. He purposefully got me into trouble with Gibbs, slapped me on the back of the head and gave me the worst jobs possible."

"And?"

"And even though he did all that? I'd give anything to have him walk through the door right now."

Abby smiled sympathetically, "Need a hug?" She opened her arms and he moved towards her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. Another large raspberry sound filled the air and the pair laughed. They pulled apart.

"You know," Abby started as the laughter faded away, "I would give anything too."

McGee nodded, "I know."

Abby smiled at her friend. He eyes drifted to the cartons of Caff-Pow on the floor next to her "Thanks Tim," Her eyes moved to the pile of magazines and she frowned. She picked up the top copy and raised an eyebrow at McGee, "Cosmo? Really?"

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Gibbs entered the office without knocking. She looked up as his silent footsteps moved towards her desk. He stopped in front of her and dropped a manila file on the desk.

"Tell me," he spoke softly.

Jenny Shepard pulled her glasses of the bridge of her nose and studied Gibbs, "You have all you need in there."

"Tell me," he said more forcefully. "What happened?"

"Jethro it's been a long hard day for all of us. If you're going to find who did this, then you're going to need your rest."

"Don't tell me what I need Jen!" Gibbs snapped.

"Okay…okay," she backed down, "Maybe we should do this over food."

"I'm not hungry."

"Well I am," she picked up the phone and placed it against her ear. She began to put in the number for the nearest Chinese Restaurant.

Gibbs hung up the phone. Jenny looked up at her ex-lover in shock. "You can eat when we're done," he told her. He reached for the nearest chair and pulled it towards him. "I'm not leaving till you tell me the whole story."


	4. Chapter 4

Again, thank you so much for all the reviews! Keep it up and i'll keep posting every other day.

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This chapter is a **FLASHBACK**

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Jenny wrung her hands together nervously. This was her biggest operation since becoming head of NCIS and the last thing she needed was for something to go wrong. She paced up and down the small van, one eye always on the monitors covering one side. A technician sat in chair below her, fiddling with buttons. 

She already had her headset on ready to listen to the op from the safety of the van and she asked for another comms test.

"Relax," Tony's voice called through the headset.

Jenny gave a weak smile, "I wish it were that easy Tango Eight." She turned towards the screen and watched the monitor showing the feed from Tony's hidden camera. The adjacent monitor showed the feed from Tony's back up agent, Brian Pearson.

Tony's monitor showed Brian, holding a plain black briefcase, whilst Brian's showed Tony. Tony's hands were dug deep into the pockets of his thick woollen coat and the Tony's breathing was visible in the cold air. Tony smiled into the camera.

"You have noting to worry about. I've spent months getting to know Delgardo. He's not going to change his mind now."

Jenny closed her eyes for a second and thought back to when Tony had first entered her office all those months ago. It had barely been a month since Gibbs had left for Mexico when she'd pulled him into her office. The team was still reeling from Gibbs' departure and were still giving Tony grief. She'd sat him down and showed him a photo of Delgardo. She told him about his black market business and all the weapons he had sold to terrorist cells. The FBI and NSA had tried to catch him in the act with no luck, federal agents had been killed and witnesses and disappeared without a trace. Now it was their turn and she was giving Tony the case.

After many months of earning Delgardo's trust, it was finally time to exchange goods. Explosives and rocket launchers for NCIS, money for Delgardo and as soon as the exchange is made, fifty or so federal agents from NCIS and FBI will surround Delgardo and his men and take them into custody. Jenny opened her mouth to speak.

"If you do one more comms check, I'll have Ricky take that headset from you," Tony's voice said knowingly.

The young technician looked up at her from his seat and smiled. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't even think about it," she told him. She looked back up at the monitor. "Okay Tango Eight, Bravo Five, not long now. Keep your eyes open, you sense any trouble you get out of there you hear me? The last thing I need is Gibbs breathing down my neck 'cause I got you hurt."

"This'll be over before you know it, and he'll never know a thing."

"I'm not so sure," Jenny crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "He's got _that_ look in his eyes."

"You're imagining it," Tony replied. Jenny stayed silent when a moment later a sleek black limousine drove past the van and into the car lot next to the warehouse. The two snipers, hiding up high caught the activity on camera and Jenny watched it all on two more monitors. "They're outside, Tango Eight."

"Acknowledged," Tony replied, his tone turned serious. It always amazed Jenny how quick Tony could go from light hearted to deathly serious.

The monitors showed three men exit the car. The three tall men in long dark coats walked towards the building. Jenny recognised the man leading as Delgardo.

Once the men had entered the building Jenny switched to the other monitors and watched the men walk towards her two agents.

"Donato!" Delgardo greeted Tony with open arms, "Come lei fa questa bella sera?" He asked, embracing Tony and kissing him on each cheek.

"Bene la ringrazia molto, e lei?" Tony replied

"Sono perfetto," Delgardo laughed. "It is a cold night for doing business," he began in English, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

"It's a cold night for anything."

Delgardo nodded, "Very true."

"Shall we get straight down to business?" Tony asked.

"Certo," he replied, switching between languages with ease, "You have the money?"

Tony turned to Brian and nodded. Brian put in the combination and the latches on the briefcase swung open. He lifted the lid and displayed the money. "One million dollars, just like we agreed," Tony pulled out a wad and handed it to Delgardo. He handed the wad back to one of his men and waited as the man checked it.

"è buono," The man said, handing the money back.

"Good, good," Delgardo nodded.

"What about our goods?" Tony asked.

"Yes, I must keep up my end of the bargain. Your goods are being kept in a safe place not far from here. I will call and have them brought over," he dipped into his coat and pulled out a cell phone. He dialled the number. "Me è, venire adesso, e portare le armi," he spoke into the phone before hanging up.

"They are on their way with the goods as we speak," Delgardo addressed Tony.

Tony smiled widely, "Perfect."

"It has been a while since business has gone so smoothly," Delgardo noted.

"I've never been one to complicate things."

"So I have noticed," the group turned as a loud noise signalled the arrival of the goods. Two more men burst through the doors pushing a large box on wheels. The pushed it towards the group and stopped in front of the group. "Your weapons," Delgardo nodded to his men who open the box.

Tony stepped toward it and looked inside. A box clearly marked as explosives sat at the bottom while four rocket launchers lay cross it. Nestled in the side were ten AK-47's. Tony picked one up.

"I didn't ask for these."

Delgardo shrugged, "Think of it as a bonus."

Tony pulled the clip out, checked it and smacked it back in before cocking the gun expertly.

"You handle that gun well."

"I've had a little practise."

"So I have heard."

Tony looked from the gun to Delgardo and narrowed his eyes. "Make the swap," he told Brian without tearing his eyes off the other man.

"Portare il denaro," Delgardo told his own men, staring back at Tony. Tony watched from the corner of his eye as Brian handed the money over. Just seconds after the money was handed over, Delgardo's four men pulled out machine guns and pointed them at Tony and Brian. Tony reacted immediately and aimed the AK-47 in his hands at Delgardo. He could hear Jenny screaming in his ear, ordering all agents into the building.

Delgardo tilted his head to one side, "That gun may be loaded, but it's loaded with blanks." Tony looked down at the gun in his hands and swore.

He threw the gun on the ground. "Why are you doing this Delgardo?" Tony asked angrily, feeling foolish that he hadn't sensed a set up.

"Taking my cake, and eating it too," he explained. He took a step back, "I will take your money and I will keep my weapons."

"I don't think so," Tony shook his head.

"No? I have four guns pointed at you and your associate, you're in an abandoned warehouse and no-one around to hear the gunshots as you die."

"You're wrong about that," Delgardo and his men spun round as fully armed agents bust into the room. Tony took his chance and ran to the nearest cove, pulling Brian a long with him. By the time Delgardo's men had turned back, Tony and Brian had disappeared.

Tony didn't know who had shot first but before he knew it a gun fight had started out. Looked out from his cover he could see Delgardo's men using the box of weapons as their own cover, each taking turns to shoot over the box at the swarm of agents. The agents had found their own cover and were shooting back ferociously.

He turned to Brian, "You okay?" He breathed. Brian nodded. "Good," Tony pulled the gun from the small of his back. He cocked the gun and aimed at Delgardo's men. He hit one, two bullets in the back. The man cried out and fell back, throwing his gun across the room. The other men looked at their fallen comrade and then back to where the shot had come from.

"Trattare loro!" Delgardo shouted.

Whilst two men continued fighting the agents, one turned around and began firing in Tony's direction. Tony ducked as wood splinters showered him.

"That was close!" Brian shouted through the noise of firing guns. Tony took a quick peek at the man before ducking back down. He looked around and stopped as he noticed a large sheet of metal propped up at the other side of the warehouse. It was the perfect cover and all of Delgardo's men would be out in the open for him to shoot.

He turned to Brian. "Cover me," he asked. Brian lifted his own gun and began shooting wildly. The men ducked and it gave Tony the moment he needed to run across the warehouse. He'd managed to sprint halfway across when he felt a searing pain spread through his chest and then a more intense pain in his gut. He dropped to his knees instantly and gasped as he fell forward onto the cold concrete floor. His gun dropped from his hand as he took in a gurgled breath. He didn't hear the fire fight finish behind him and he barely felt the hands turning him over onto his back.

"Oh god."

Tony's blurred vision made out the shape of a red haired woman. "It wasn't…" He began to speak.

"Save your energy," she spoke. His eyes widened as her hands pushed down on his wounds and he let out a cry. "Get those damn EMTs here now!" She roared.

"It wasn't," he mumbled again, "Supposed to…happen…like this."

"I know, I know." He closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness drifting away from the red head leaning over him. "I'm so sorry Tony," she told him.

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Translations - Italian's not perfect because I can't speak a word of it and got it all off a translation website

"How are you this fine evening?" He asked, embracing Tony and kissing him on each cheek.

"I'm good thanks you, and you?" Tony replied

"I'm perfect"

(Certo) Certainly

(è buono) It's good

(me è, venire adesso, e portare le armi) It's me, come now and bring the weapons

(Portare il denaro) Take the money

(Trattare loro!) Deal with them!


	5. Chapter 5

more lovely reviews - thank you! never fails to put a smile on my face. Thank you to those who gave me the correct translations, the corrections will be made at some point.

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"And then what?" Gibbs asked. Sometime during the story the pair had moved to the couch. Gibbs hunched forwards, his hands clasped together almost too tightly. 

Jenny was sitting up straight, her hands hugging a cold glass filled with straight Gin. It was late and there was no way she would have been able to re-tell what happened without a little encouragement.

"And then," she began, rising to her feet and standing over Gibbs. "The paramedics came. They pushed me away, so I couldn't see what was going on. There was just so much blood." Jenny closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the memory. "So much blood," she repeated. She shook her head and pulled herself out of her thoughts. "Next thing I know they've got him in an ambulance and are speeding down the road to Bethesda."

"Why didn't you call me?" Gibbs asked.

"I had a few other things on my mind at the time Jethro!" Jenny snapped.

Gibbs rose to his feet and stared Jenny straight in the eyes, "What happened at the hospital?"

"They took him into surgery straight away. Then…this doctor came out. Told me they'd done all they can. Tony was alive, but barely," she sniffed. "They said he wouldn't survive the night."

Gibbs couldn't take it any longer and tore his eyes away from Jenny's as they started to water. He strode to the window and looked out at the watery DC. The rain hadn't stopped falling since that afternoon and now in the darkness the water looked like oil, covering everything. "You should have called me," Gibbs spoke. "I had the right to say goodbye to him."

"I made a mistake, and I'm sorry," she took a sip of the alcohol in the glass she still held, her hand shook as she raised it to her lips. "I spoke to him briefly just before…before he," she couldn't finish her sentence. "He wanted his family by his bed."

Gibbs snorted, "He hadn't spoken to his family in years. I highly doubt he wanted them."

Jenny tilted her head to one side and studied the man turned away from her. His shoulder looked so tense, her own shoulders started to ache. His arms hug loosely at his sides but his hands were gripped into tight fists like he was ready to hit something, or someone and his head drooped forward slightly. Jenny didn't know whether it was from weariness or from utter defeat.

"I don't think it was his biological family he was talking about," she told him. Slowly he turned back around to face her. "He told me to tell you something," she began.

"Go on."

"He said he was sorry, sorry for lying to you, sorry for anything he'd ever done wrong." Gibbs closed his eyes for a second before looking up at Jenny. "His last few breaths were to apologise to you, he was so worried you would hate him."

"I don't hate him."

"I know," Jenny nodded before downing the rest of the alcohol. "Are you going to be able to sleep now? Now that you know what happened?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "No," he answered honestly.

She looked down at her empty glass in her hands and moved towards the drinks cabinet. She needed another drink. She didn't notice Gibbs intercept her until his hands had covered hers. Slowly he pulled the glass from her hands and set it down on the table.

"I don't hate, Tony," he repeated, his voice to quiet she had to strain to hear him, "But right now, I'm blaming you for his death." He turned away from her and moved towards the door, ignoring the hurt in her eyes. He stopped in the doorway and turned back to her.

"What about Delgardo?" He asked.

Jenny swallowed hard and pivoted round towards Gibbs "Escaped," she explained. Gibbs didn't reply, he turned on the spot and continued out the door.

He strode silently down the walkway and made his way down the stairs to his desk. As he rounded the corner, he spotted McGee and Ziva sitting at their desks, both waiting silently to be told what to do. He hid his surprise at their presence easily. He hadn't expected them to be here. He'd dismissed them hours ago, told them to go get some rest. He didn't say thank you, he could see in their eyes that they knew he was.

"Hey," he called softly, catching their attention instantly.

"Boss," McGee spoke first.

"How's Abby?" He asked McGee.

"She'll be okay," McGee nodded.

Gibbs didn't believe him but didn't have the energy to call him on it. He looked over at Ziva and studied her for a second but said nothing to her. "I want everything there is on Delgardo on my desk by the morning," he ordered. "Any property he owns, friends he has, anyone that could help him hide. We are going to find him and make him pay," he told them before moving past them. He stopped and turned back to the remaining members of his team. "I'm going for coffee, you guys want anything?"

McGee and Ziva looked at each other and then at Gibbs before shaking their heads dumbly. He nodded back before disappearing into the elevator.

"That was strange, he was…nice," Ziva noted as the elevator doors closed.

"He was the same when Kate died," McGee explained quietly, his eyes looking down at his desk. "I don't want nice. It's not Gibbs if he's nice," he said, remembering what Tony had said two years ago. "We only found one way to make him Gibbs again"

"And that was?" Ziva asked. She followed McGee's eyesight and stared at the empty desk in front of her. It didn't look right. Even when Tony was late for work or out on a case, energy surrounded his desk. Like pieces of Tony lingered, even when he wasn't there. Now the space looked cold and empty "Oh."

"Tony was the only one brave enough to piss Gibbs off on purpose," McGee tore his eyes away from the desk and stared at his own computer.

The pair fell into silence, the only sound came from the typing on keyboards as they each struggled to pull up information on Delgardo. They found information from other agencies but it was just small pieces. He'd been spotted in Portugal two months ago, Moscow a month before that. His acquaintances were equally elusive and Ziva huffed loudly as she came to another dead end.

"Have you found anything?" She asked.

"Not enough," McGee replied with a sigh. "It's not enough to catch him," he sighed again.

"Don't."

McGee looked up at Ziva in surprise "Don't what?"

"You're wondering if Tony would have been able to find the right information, thinking like that isn't going to help us." McGee looked hurt and Ziva's expression softened. "And it certainly won't make you feel any better," she added.

"I'm not sure finding Delgardo will either," McGee replied honestly.

"I know," Ziva nodded, "But right now, finding Delgardo is the only thing keeping Gibbs together."


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs felt the weight of the solid wood coffin on his shoulder as he took a step down the aisle. Holding up the coffin on the other side was McGee, behind him, Palmer and three other NCIS agents who had all known Tony. Rows of people in black sat watching as they moved up the aisle towards the front of church.

Some of them he recognized, NCIS agents, DC cop's Tony had gotten to know on cases. Tony's fraternity buddies sat in a group, the usual high spirited men sat solemnly. And there were the people he didn't recognize, various women that obviously didn't hate Tony and Gibbs was surprised how many of them there were. He always got the impression that all the women Tony had dated had ending up regretting it, but the tears he saw were real.

His eyes looked up and spotted Abby watching him. She sat near the front, wearing the same black lace dress she'd worn to Kate's funeral. Ziva sat beside her in a simple black dress, her hair tied back tightly. He barely noticed the red headed woman sitting in front of Ziva and Abby, but he'd barely spoken to the director since he'd blamed her for Tony's death. His head turned slowly and as she looked at him, he looked away.

They reached the front of church and placed the coffin on the stands before taking their seats.

A priest stood up and moved to stand by the coffin. "Welcome," he said. "We have come here today to remember before God our brother Anthony, to give thanks for hislife; to commend him to God our merciful redeemer and judge; to commit hisbody to be buried and to comfort one another in our grief."

Gibb's hand gripped the service programme in his hand tightly.

"_Hey, no, this is my team now, Gibbs. My rules. And DiNozzo's Rule #1 is I don't sit on the sidelines when my people are in trouble. You got a problem with that? Just remember whose got a badge and who is a civilian."  
_

"_Done?"  
_

"_Yeah."  
_

"_I was going to say get McGee and I'll meet you there."  
_

"_You know I could arrest you for striking a Federal officer."_

"_I know that."  
_

"_Alright. Just so you know."_

"You promised eternal life to those who believe. Remember for good this your servant Anthony as we also remember him. Bring all who rest in Christ into the fullness of your kingdom where sins have been forgiven and death is no more," the priest continued.

"_Six letter word for a reason to commit a crime."  
_

"_Dinozzo..."_

"_That's seven letters."  
_

"_Still works for me."_

"Your mighty power brings joy out of grief and life out of death. Look in mercy on all who mourn. Give them patient faith in times of darkness. Strengthen them with the knowledge of your love."

"_I still have much to learn, Master."_

"Now," Gibbs looked back up, "A few words from his superior, Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Gibbs stood up and took his place at the podium. He took a quick moment to look out of the many people who had come to celebrate Tony's life before speaking.

"Tony was…," he began, "Tony was a pain in the ass." Gibbs waited for the chuckling to die down before continuing, "He was always late for work." He looked at McGee, "Always knew what to say to push your buttons." He moved his eyes to Ziva, "Always had a come back…always made you want to slap him on the back of the head…continuously." The church laughed again. "But those that knew Tony well, knew that he was a good friend. Loyal, committed, _always _there for you when you needed him. As a federal agent, he worked tirelessly, whilst weaker men gave up, Tony kept going, working through the night until he caught his man. He gave up so much for his work… and never asked for anything in return. He was selfless… putting his life on the line everyday and would put strangers lives before his own. Few men had Tony's courage, and he was one of few men who had my trust and respect. He died working for his country….and there won't be a single day when he won't be missed." He took another look over the church before stepping down and returning to his seat.

The priest stepped back up, "We have entrusted our brother Anthony to God's mercy, and we now commit his body to the ground: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, who died, was buried, and rose again for us.  
To him be glory for ever…Amen."

Gibbs swallowed. "Amen," he repeated.

Slowly the pews emptied, groups moving to the exit and rushing through the rain to cars.

"No graveside burial?" Some asked behind him.

"Not in this weather," another voice replied.

"What a cliché."

Gibbs didn't turn around to put faces to the voices, instead he slipped out of his own pew and stepped up to the coffin. He didn't notice his team come up and stand behind him.

Ziva moved first, pulling a white lily from the stand nearby and placing it on top of the coffin. She whispered something in Hebrew moving turning and walking down the aisle, her clicking heels echoing on the stone floor.

McGee stepped up next, pacing a second lily on top of the first "Who's going to call me Probie now?" He asked, placing his hand, flat against the coffin "Goodbye, Tony." His hand slid away and he turned to follow Ziva.

"May you find peace, my boy," Ducky spoke, placing a third lily on the coffin. He pivoted on the spot, placing a firm hand on Gibbs' shoulder for a second before moving away.

Abby lifted the remaining lilies from the pot and placed them the coffin. "Say Hi to Kate for me." She reached around her neck and unclipped her necklace, the same one Tony had bought her in Germany. The pendant dangled from her hand and she slowly lowered it onto the wood next to the flowers. "Bye Tony" She looked up at Gibbs.

"Go," he told her, "I'll be there in a minute." She nodded and disappeared down the aisle.

Gibbs took a step closer and placed both hands on the coffin, "I promise you…..I will find Delgardo…and I will make him pay for what he took from me."

* * *

Jenny pulled open her desk draw and pulled out her gun. She pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. She attached the gun to her waist before slipping on a jacket to hide the weapon. She smoothed the coat down, pulling it across and doing up the buttons to protect her from the cold weather. She exited her office quietly, closing the door behind her with a barely audible click. Her eyes scanned the outer office and noticed Cynthia had already finished for the day, her computer sat blank and lifeless ready for tomorrow and her desk was obsessively tidy. Jenny couldn't help but smile at her assistant's tidiness.

She passed quickly through the building, feeling lucky that most of NCIS had chosen to attend Tony's wake. She nodded to the guard at the exit, passed through the metal detector and pushed open the door, stepping out into the cold for the second time that day. A gust of wind whipped past her, catching dead leaves and swirling them around until they dropped lifelessly into the gutter. She shivered. It was already getting dark and as the light disappeared, the temperature dropped.

Her driver met her by her car. "Evening Ma'am," he greeted.

"Stan," she replied with a nod. He held open her door and she slid inside, welcoming the heat.

"Home?" He asked as he slid into the driver's seat in front of her.

"Please." She felt the engine start up and as the car pulled away from her designated parking space she leant her head back against the rest and closed her eyes. It had been a long day and unfortunately it wasn't over yet.

Jenny didn't take her coat off as she entered her house. She waived her maid away and crossed the hallway to a side table. Sitting in a glass bowl were a set of keys. Car keys. Since becoming director of NCIS, she'd hardly ever had to drive herself. She picked up the cool metal keys and gripped them tightly, ignoring the pain as the shape of the keys dug into her skin. She turned back to the door and left.

Her heels clicked as she descended the steps to her driveway. She'd dismissed Stan as soon as she's stepped out of the car and she was glad he'd obeyed her. She pulled open the garage door and stepped into the dark room. She pressed the button on her keys and her car came to life, the headlamps illuminating the garage and showing Jenny the way.

She slid into the driver's seat and pushed the key into the ignition. She waited for the radiator to heat up before tuning on the heating and then slowly pulled the handbrake off, and pressed the gas pedal, accelerating the car out of the garage, down her driveway and onto the road.

Her trip took an hour and she passed the time by listening to the radio, switching from classical to jazz to suit her fancy. She yawned as she finally pulled into another driveway. She switched the engine off. Climbed out of the car and walked across the driveway to the cabin. Her heels dug into the muddy ground and she silently wished she'd changed first, imagining what damage had been done to her shoes. The porch light was off and the light through the windows was dim. She reached the front door and knocked firmly.

"Who is it?" A voice called.

"It's me," Jenny replied, just loud enough for the man on the other side to hear her. A moment later she heard the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked and a key turning in the door. The door swung open and she greeted the man.

"Come in," He told her, taking her hand and pulling her into the warmth. He closed the door behind her and he offered to take her coat. She gave it to him and as he hung the coat up, she stepped towards the burning embers of a dying fire. There was just enough heat left to warm her cold extremities. "How was the funeral?" He asked.

She swallowed. "Hard," she answered. Her head turned towards his.

"You want something to drink? There isn't much."

"Coffee?" She asked. "I need something to keep me awake." She smiled at him.

He smiled back, "Coffee, I can do." He set about putting water in an old kettle and then put it on to boil. She watched as he reached up into a high cupboard and pulled down a couple of mugs. A teaspoon of instant coffee went into both.

She took the mug when it was handed to her. "Sorry, there's no milk."

"It's fine, really," she said before taking a large sip of the burning liquid. She's spent enough time with Gibbs to appreciate the taste of hot black coffee.

She sat down in nearest armchair and waited for him to sit before speaking "How's he doing?"

He tilted his head to one side. "Better," he answered, "He's sleeping right now."

"Good."

"Does anyone suspect anything?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No and as far as anyone is concerned, Tony DiNozzo is dead."

* * *

It was really interesting posting this story, watching people go from disbelief that Tony was dead after the second chapter and completely doubting it and thinking he was dead by the fifth chapter. So there you go - I've finally answered all your questions...well i've answered one question :) Hope you are all happy now. Keep reading and keep reviewing!! 


	7. Chapter 7

McGee narrowed his eyes at the man talking to the Director. They stood at the end of the squad room, the man nodding at whatever Director Shepard was saying. McGee didn't recognise the man. He was tall and well built, his clothes barely concealing his muscles. His blonde hair gave him an almost Nordic look and his chiselled jaw told McGee that the man had never had any problems with the ladies. McGee looked over at Ziva, who was equally curious, her suspicious eyes never straying from the man. The man gave the director one final nod before moving towards them.

McGee looked away quickly and busied himself with work as Gibbs strode into the office, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. Gibbs stopped short when he noticed the man standing in the middle of the squad room. He studied the man, looking him up and down.

The man kept his head held high, trying to show Gibbs he wasn't fazed by the evaluation his was being given.

"Who are you?" Gibbs asked shortly.

The man held out his hand, "Warren Hunter."

Gibbs ignored the outstretched hand and moved to his desk. "What are you doing in my squad room, Warren Hunter?" Gibbs questioned, settling into his seat and taking a sip of coffee.

Hunter frowned. "The Director didn't tell you?" He asked. "I'm your new senior field agent."

Gibbs showed no expression and ignored the surprised looks on McGee and Ziva's faces and he rose from his seat, brushed passed Hunter and practically ran up the stairs.

"Something I said?" Warren asked.

Ziva glared at Warren. "Yes," She answered honestly, "It was something you said."

"Oh," he sounded, he scanned the room and eyed the empty desk behind him. "Is that mine?" He moved round the desk and sat down. "Hey, what should I do with all this stuff?"

McGee looked up and frowned. "That's Tony's desk," he spoke.

"That's the agent who died right? I'm sorry about that but I don't think he'll mind me using it." He reached for the drawers and tried to pull it open, frowning when he found it locked. "Anyone know where I can get a key for this thing?"

Ziva pushed herself up and crossed the short distance, slamming both palms on the desk. "This is Tony's desk," she hissed. "Go sit somewhere else," she ordered. She ripped her hands away from the desk and turned away from him.

"Okay," he spoke, holding his hands up, "I get it." He stood up and moved away from the desk "Where should I sit?" McGee pointed to the desk on the other side of his partition but didn't look up.

"Tough crowd," he muttered, walking past McGee.

"Grieving crowd," McGee snapped. He stood up and joined Ziva by her desk, just out of earshot. "Wait till Abby hears about him, you remember how long it took for her to warm up to you after Kate died?"

"And she knew Tony for longer, they were like siblings," Ziva continued McGee's train of thought. "I don't want to be anywhere near this place when she finds out that the Director has replaced Tony."

Gibbs stormed past Cynthia, ignoring her protests, and burst into the office. The door swung open and slammed into the wall behind it, almost chipping the orange paint off the wall.

Jenny's head snapped up and her jaw dropped. "Special Agent Gibbs!" She called, lifting herself from her desk. "What on earth do you think you are doing?"

"Who the hell is that guy standing in my squad room?" Gibbs shouted, pointing out the door.

Jenny put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Gibbs' shouting. "Your squad room?" She asked with a twinge of sarcasm in her voice.

"It's barely been a week! Tony hasn't been dead a week yet and you are replacing him!"

"Neither Ziva or Timothy are experienced enough to be senior field agent and you and I both know how much Tony did, he always picked up the slack. You can't carry on without a replacement, you try and you'll realise just how much work Tony did"

"I don't care!" Gibbs shouted, "You should have talked to me!"

"Jethro!"

"I choose my own team, Jen."

"No you don't. I am in charge here I appoint new employees where I feel they are needed most, not on the say so of one of my agents."

"This is different!"

"How?"

Gibbs took a step closer to Jen, "Tony was like family to all of us. You can't find another person to fill his place that easily and if you hadn't sent him on that mission we wouldn't need a new Senior Field Agent. Would we?"

"Fine, I'll make you a deal. You stick with Warren and if after two weeks you don't like him? You can choose your own person to replace Tony."

Gibbs gritted his teeth and thought it over, "Fine!" He turned back towards the door, "But don't think I'm going to go easy on him, it won't be my problem if he can't handle it." Gibbs looked up at Jenny with a steely gaze. "Tony certainly could," he added before storming away.

He jogged back down the stairs and made his way back to his desk, raising an eyebrow at the newest member of the team sitting at the spare desk.

He walked up to the filing cabinet next to Tony's desk and yanked open a drawer. He pulled out a pile of files. He slammed the drawer shut and then walked up to Warren's desk. He dropped the pile down and Warren jumped slightly. "Read all of these."

"What are they?"

"Case files from the last three months." Gibbs turned to his own desk, his cell phone ringing before he could even sit down. "Gibbs," he answered, listening for a second before hanging up. "Gear up, we've got a killer to find," he told his team" Ziva and McGee stood, dug into drawers for their guns and slung their backpacks over one shoulder, ready to leave. Warren stood up and Gibbs glared at him. "Not you," he told him, "You don't leave this room until you've read all those files."

Warren nodded, "I understand."

Gibbs moved towards him, stepping into his personal space. "I don't think you do." Gibbs spoke, his voice low and menacing, "The man you are replacing was worth ten of you."

"You don't even know me," Warren replied.

Gibbs stared at Warren, "I don't need to." He turned and led the others away and into the elevator.

* * *

I'm so evil, i know :) Thanks for all the wonderful reviews 


	8. Chapter 8

oops, sorry for the long wait, I've just been a bit busy with Uni etc, plus I'm having a little writer's block (don't worry, the next 2 chapters are written - I just can't seem to get the 11th chapter on paper - I might be able to write it with a little encouragement hint hint) hope you like :)

* * *

Gibbs stood in the centre of the large warehouse. The building, nearly as big as NCIS headquarters, was empty apart from a few empty boxes that lined the walls, and the odd discarded sheet of metal. The wide open doors and the holes in the room brought a chill and Gibbs lifted his hands to his mouth and blew, the warm air heating up his fingers instantly.

He could see the remnants of the operation everywhere. There were bullet holes in every single surface, the casings littering the concrete floor and patches of blood where men had died. He stood by the box of weapons Delgardo had delivered and looked down at the red patches, each belonging to one of Delgardo's men.

His steps echoed as he made his way over to the last patch of blood. The large stain exactly where Jenny had told him it would be.

"Tony's?" Ziva asked from behind him.

Gibbs nodded, "Yeah."

Ziva walked up to Gibbs and grabbed the camera from around her neck. The camera flashed three times as she took three different photos of the red mark, as if she were a professional photographer trying to find the stain's best angle.

Gibbs turned as he heard footsteps behind him. He met McGee's eyes as the younger agent shuffled in, bags over his shoulders and large black cases in each hand.

"Where do you want me to start boss?" He asked, putting the equipment down with a sigh.

"Bag and tag the shell casings," Gibbs ordered. He turned back to Ziva, "Finish, then start marking the bullet trajectories."

Ziva looked round at all the hundreds of holes and her eyes widened, "Gibbs! That'll take me ages!"

Gibbs walked up to Ziva and glared. "Then you better get started," he replied before storming away.

McGee gave Ziva a sympathetic smile. "At least he's back to normal now," McGee shrugged.

Gibbs stepped out into the open and pulled out his cell phone. He went into his phone book, and pressed the D for Ducky. Gibbs sighed as DiNozzo's name and number appeared first. He stared at the number for a second, his thumb hovering over the delete button. Deleting Tony's number was a big step and Gibbs wasn't sure he was ready for it. Finally his thumb moved over to the arrow button and Ducky's number appeared. He put the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing.

"Dr. Mallard speaking," Ducky answered.

"It's me," Gibbs answered.

"Ah, Jethro. I was just about to phone you."

"They arrived?" He asked.

"Yes, yes," Ducky replied, looking over at the dead men each occupying a table. "All of Delgardo's men are here. I've started already, pulled three bullets from one, all government issued. Palmer's taking them up to Abby as we speak. She'll be able to determine who shot who."

"Good, anything else yet?" Gibbs asked, hopeful.

"Sorry Jethro, barely spent any time with the men. I'll have more for you when you get back."

"Okay."

Ducky frowned, "Is everything okay Jethro?"

"I'm not sure yet Duck, just a gut feeling."

"Ah," Ducky sounded.

"Tell Abs I want those results ASAP."

"Will do."

* * *

Abby's pigtails whipped round and almost slapped her in the face as her head spun round to greet her guest. "Hey Palmer," she smiled at the nervous man. She stood at her main computer table, balancing on one platform boot and swinging slightly.

"Abby," he smiled in return.

"What have ya got for me?" She turned towards him.

"Bullets," he replied, holding up the bag with the jar inside and shaking it around slightly to show her the contents. He handed it over and she immediately wrote her name on the bag, continuing the chain of custody.

Jimmy turned away but stopped when a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. "You want to wait to see the results?" She asked.

"I should really be getting back downstairs." He tried to pull away but failed as Abby gripped onto his arm tighter, using a strength he didn't know she possessed to pull him towards her.

"Please?" She asked "I could really do with the company," she added. She let him go and grabbed the nearest stool for him to sit on. "Tony usually kept me company," she shrugged. "Getting sandwich crumbs in my machines and pressing random buttons when he got bored…but keeping me company."

"I suppose I could stay for a little while."

She smiled at him, "Great." She turned back to her computer and began typing. Jimmy couldn't help but stare at her bare legs and miniskirt as she turned away from his. "I said keep me company not gaze at my legs, Jimmy." She looked over her shoulder at him and laughed at his face turned red.

"S…sorry," he stuttered.

"It's okay Jimmy really, you should have seen McGee and Tony when they first saw my Halloween costume." Palmer opened his mouth to speak but shut it a second later. "What?" Abby asked, seeing the hesitation in the ME's assistant.

"I know you and McGee had a thing a while back, but did you and Tony ever…you know?"

Abby raised an eyebrow, "Me and Tony?"

"Was that really inappropriate? I'm so stupid, of course you don't want to start opening fresh wounds!"

"Hey." Jimmy looked up. "It's okay really. It feels good to talk about him." She gave him a reassuring smile. "As for me and Tony…nothing ever happened. Not that he didn't want anything to happen," Abby grinned, "Everyday for his first two weeks he came on to me."

"What happened?"

"Gibbs threatened to break both his kneecaps if he didn't leave me alone. We became best friends after that," Abby turned to the table where she's left the bullets and picked up the bag.

"What will those bullets tell you?" Palmer asked, following Abby into the back room where she did all her ballistics testing.

"Nothing that'll help us find Delgardo," Abby sighed, "But we'll be able to know who killed who."

"What about-," he stopped himself quickly.

Abby frowned "What about what?"

"What about the bullets that killed Tony? What will they tell us?"

She shook her head. "I don't have those bullets," she replied.

"But surely they arrived with the autopsy results."

"No autopsy results arrived either."

"Where could they be?"

Abby placed her hands on her hips and looked at Palmer. "I have no idea," she answered honestly.

* * *

Gibbs pushed open the door and stormed into the office.

"Gibbs!" Jenny exclaimed, "You're making this a nasty habit." She circled her desk and stopped in front of him. "You knock on my door and wait for an answer like everybody else in this building, are we clear?"

"There's a few things missing from the report, Director," Gibbs began, ignoring her stern order. "I was hoping you would know where they are."

Shepard turned away from him and returned to her desk. "And what would they be?"

"The autopsy report and the bullets pulled from Tony's body," Gibbs answered bluntly. Jenny didn't speak and Gibbs' eyes narrowed at the slight flicker of something in the Director's eyes. "I can't continue this investigation without them," he added.

"I know," she spoke, "I'll get them to you as soon as possible."

"I need them now, Jen."

"Well you're just going to have to wait!" She snapped. Gibbs showed no reaction at the outburst. "I will get them to you as soon as possible," she repeated, pronouncing each work clearly and firmly.

Gibbs nodded. "See that you do," he said before tuning and striding out of her office, closing the door behind him.

Jenny sank into her chair and sighed loudly. Her head fell into her hands and she closed her eyes, still reeling from another encounter with an angry Gibbs. She slowly lifted her head and picked up her cell phone. She quickly dialled a number, "It's me." She said into the phone, "I need Tony's autopsy results and bullets for Gibbs….thank you…I'll collect them this evening." She hung up the phone, unaware that Gibbs was standing on the other side of the door.

Gibbs frowned as he listened to the phone call. He didn't know whom she was talking to but whoever it was had the autopsy results, but why? He heard her put the phone down and he turned and walked away, his footsteps silent.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, writer's block over, I am halfway through chapter 12 and have a full plan for the rest of the story so don't panic. This story will be finished!! Keep up the reviews! It really helps me write quicker :)

* * *

Gibbs looked up from the report in front of him, as a pile of papers was slammed down on his desk. He peered over his glasses at the man standing in front of him.

"You done?" He asked.

The man stuck out his chin, "Just about." Gibbs turned back to the computer silently. "The others gone for the night?" He asked.

Gibbs nodded, "Sent them home an hour ago."

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

Warren sighed; he turned to his desk and dropped wearily into his chair, grumbling under his breath.

"Something bothering you?"

"Yeah," Warren nodded, he lifted his head and glared at Gibbs. "Yes. Something is bothering me!" Hunter snapped. "I have been doing scut work non-stop for the last two days. I have a layer of dust covering my lungs from spending hours in the records room. Your forensic girl won't stop glaring at me, even though I've never even spoke to her let alone offended her in anyway and I have to listen to everyone in this building tell me I'm not good enough. Tony DiNozzo must have had really big shoes because apparently I won't ever fill them, not that anyone around will let me!" He ranted, rising to his feet to stand over Gibbs.

"I have a gun and I'm a good shot. You are wasting me, and you and I both know it. I know you've seen my file. You can't be angry at me, you barely know me. So why are you taking out your anger at everyone else on me?"

"I get it, I do. He was like a son to you and I'm not trying to replace him in anyway. I just want to do my job, catch the bad guys, but I can't do that if you don't give me a chance."

Gibbs looked up at Warren, "You finished?" He asked, seemingly unperturbed by the rant. Warren nodded, rubbing his tried eyes as Gibbs rose from his seat. "Good…go," Gibbs nodded his head at the elevator, "Get some sleep."

Warren sighed in relief. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. He practically jogged to the elevator, not giving Gibbs the chance to change his mind. "Hey," Gibbs called. Warren stopped and turned around, his hand in the elevator doorway to stop the doors from closing. "I'm trying to find Tony's killer," Gibbs told him.

Warren nodded, "I know, I'd like to help you with that."

Gibbs nodded back, "Okay…Be here bright and early, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"You got it, Boss." Warren turned and disappeared into the elevator.

Gibbs closed his eyes. _"You got it, Boss,"_ he heard Tony's voice say. _"Understood, Boss," _he could see Tony standing behind bars, rambling because someone had framed him for murder. _"Yes, boss,"_ Tony nodding, obeying Gibbs without question.

He shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts. He sunk back down into his chair and looked at the report. The autopsy report was completed filled, noting every single detail in Tony's autopsy. He'd gone though enough reports to know that there wasn't a single discrepancy. He'd already gone through it ten times and had memorised every single word of it but Gibbs still couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

He pushed the file away and picked up his phone, dialling the number for Abby's lab.

"Hey, Bossman," an excited voice answered

"I thought I told you to go home," Gibbs replied.

"Then why call my lab?" Gibbs laughed "Mr. Calvin Klein model still there?" Abby asked.

"Just sent him home."

"Hmph," she snorted

"How about you get to know the man before you give him the death glare, Abs?"

"I am making _no _promises…so, what can I do for you?"

"I need a favour."

"Ask away."

"Can you get me the security footage from the hospital from the night Tony died?"

"I can…any particular reason?"

"Just humour me okay?"

"You got it." Gibbs hung up the phone and pulled the report back towards him. It wouldn't take long for Abby to get the footage, giving him just enough time to look over the file for the eleventh time.

* * *

"Okay," Abby began as she walked into the squad room, a single disk in her hand. "This is everything from the hospital." She placed the disk into Gibbs' hands.

"You watched it?"

Abby bit her lip, "Yeah."

Gibbs leant back in his chair. "What did you think?" He asked, studying the goth.

She shrugged, "It's the last video footage of Tony alive, I wasn't really looking for anything in particular." Gibbs nodded. He took the disk out of the protective sleeve and slid it into the computer. "What are you looking for?" She asked.

"I won't know until I find it," Gibbs answered. He looked up at Abby. "Go home," he ordered. She smiled and he raised an eyebrow. "I mean it Abs, get some rest."

"You sure?"

He waved her away, "Go."

"Night, Bossman." She leant over the table and kissed Gibbs on the cheek. "You get some rest too," she whispered into his ear before pulling herself upright. She turned and walked way, her platform boots clomping all the way to the elevator.

"Don't even think about going back to your lab!" Gibbs shouted after her.

She turned to look at him and grinned, "Who me?"

Gibbs shook his head and smiled slightly. He turned to the computer and pressed play. His eyes narrowed as he watched the jumpy footage from the hospital. Hospital staff walked up and down the corridor silently, pushing wheelchairs, leading patients to rooms. Thirty seconds into the video a trolley came into view, Gibbs recognised the bed's occupant immediately. Tony lay unconscious in the bed, a tube down the throat and wires everywhere. Two large pads covered his chest and gut and even in the black and white video Gibbs knew they were the bullet wounds.

The trolley disappeared down the hall and out of shot quickly, the doctors and nurses surrounding the bed pushing down the hall as quickly as possible. Gibbs rewound the video and watched it again and then a third time.

He finally pressed stop and switched to the second video. The corridor looked almost identical to the first except this one was busier. Gibbs spotted the trolley again, the time stamp at the bottom stating it was over six hours later. The bed was wheeled into a room. Tony still with a tube down his throat had even more wires in him, an IV with bags of medication hanging from a pole and wires monitoring his heart rate. A couple of minutes later the nurses left the room and disappeared. Gibbs didn't watch it again. He fast forwarded the video, stopping it when a figure he recognised appeared.

Gibbs watched as the Director strode down the hallway and into Tony's room. As Gibbs fast forwarded again, Gibbs silently wished they would put security cameras in the rooms. Over an hour of video sped by before the director finally appeared from the room. Gibbs tilted his head to one side and watched curiously as she looked up and down the corridor before pulling her cell phone out. She made a quick call before disappearing back into the room. Barely five minutes later another figure that Gibbs recognised arrived.

"Dr. Gelfand?" Gibbs asked out loud.

Gibbs remembered the doctor after his last stay in the hospital. The explosion on that ship had nearly ended his life and it was Dr. Gelfand's care that had kept him alive. Gibbs didn't know what the neurologist was doing in Tony's room. Gibbs kept watching as the Director left the room. Her suspicious eyes making sure no-one was watching her as she walked briskly down the corridor.

Suddenly Tony's bed was wheeled out of the room by Doctor Gelfand, except this time Tony was covered over by a sheet. To anyone else it looked like a Doctor transporting a dead patient to the morgue. But Gibbs noticed something else. He frowned, rewinding the tape and watching the last thirty seconds of the tape again, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

* * *

Jenny Sheppard woke to the sound of a loud banging. She pulled back the covers, slipped on her dressing gown and made her way out of her bedroom and down the stairs towards the sound of the disturbing noise. Her maid had gotten to the door before her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sheppard," she apologised, her hand on the door handle.

"It's okay Naomi, go back to bed," she told the woman. The maid nodded, letting go of the handle and walking away.

"Good night, Miss Sheppard."

"Good night Naomi," Jenny waited for the woman to disappear down the hallway before turning back to the door. The pounding continued until she grasped the door handle, used her other hand to unlock the door. The door swung open and Jenny's eyes widened at the sight of a very angry Gibbs. "Jethro?" She asked "What are you doing here? It's past midnight."

He brushed past her and into the house with no invitation. "We need to talk," he told her. Moving down the hallway and entering her study. She followed him in and watched as he helped himself to her bourbon.

He poured the alcohol into two glasses and took one of the glasses. He moved around the desk and sat in Jenny's seat.

"I'm guessing this couldn't wait?" She asked.

"No." Gibbs took a sip of the amber liquid.

"Well," she began, taking the other glass, "At least you waited for an answer before barging into my house." She took a seat on the other side of the desk. "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me the truth," he answered.

"About what?"

"About Tony," Gibbs replied, gulping down the rest of his drink. He stood up and re-filled the glass.

"What about Tony?"

Gibbs spun round and glared at Jenny. "Don't lie to me Jen. Don't try and fob me off with stories…I had Abby get the security footage from the hospital," he explained.

Jenny's head snapped up and her eyes met his. "You did what?"

"I watched everything. I watched you make a phone call and then five minutes later I watched Doctor Todd Gelfand enter Tony's room and then his push Tony's bed towards the morgue."

Jenny rose to her feet and moved towards Gibbs. "And?"

"I want to know why you phoned him. He's a neurologist and as far as I know, Tony had no neurological problems. Ten minutes after entering the room, Tony's dead? ... I don't believe it." Gibbs could see that he was on the right track "Something's going on and I want to know what it is."

* * *

duh duh duh!!! 


	10. Chapter 10

Finally some answers!! I'm so glad you are still liking this story - please keep reviewing!!

* * *

Gibbs could see that he was on the right track, "Something's going on and I want to know what it is."

Jenny took a step away from Gibbs, "Nothing's going on."

"Sell me a different story, Jen. 'Cause, I'm not buying this one" When Jenny stayed silent, Gibbs moved towards the desk and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked as Gibbs began to dial.

"Calling my team," he answered.

Jenny moved towards Gibbs, reached passed him and hung up the phone. "Don't do that," she said into his ear. She looked up at Gibbs' and their eyes met.

"Tell me why I shouldn't," Gibbs replied.

"Because."

Gibbs stepped further into Jenny's personal space, "Because what?"

"You make that phone call and Tony could die."

"What are you talking about?"

Jenny stepped away from Gibbs and moved to the couch at the other end of the room. "Tony isn't dead."

"What?"

"He isn't dead," Jenny repeated, "We faked his death. It was the only way to keep Delgardo away."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me!" Gibbs shouted "Why didn't you tell me!"

"You and I both know that the less people that know a secret the better!" Jenny spat back, un-intimidated by Gibbs' outburst. "Delgardo had men at Tony's funeral. He needed to see that Tony was dead. He needed to see that you thought he was dead!"

"You made me think he was dead! The man is like a son to me and you made me believe he was dead!"

"Yes I did, and I did it to keep Tony alive." Gibbs turned away from Jenny and leant a hand on the bookshelf. "So…all that stuff he said on his deathbed, you made all that up?"

"No. That was all Tony"

Gibbs turned around and dropped into the nearest chair, his head hung and his eyes staring at the dark red carpet. "What happened? What about Tony's injuries?"

"I didn't lie to you about his injuries. The two bullets caused serious damage. About an hour after his surgery, he woke up. I told him what had happened, and how Delgardo had managed to escape. I gave him two options, he could either stay and risk Delgardo finding him and finishing the job….or I fake his death and he goes into hiding until Delgardo was in custody. He chose option two."

Gibbs looked up at Jenny, "No kidding."

"I phoned the only doctor I could trust."

"Doctor Todd Gelfand," Gibbs supplied.

"Yes, we... _connected_ after your accident. He faked Tony's death and helped Tony get out of the hospital. He's with Tony now."

"Where is he?"

"Jethro," Jenny protested.

Gibbs stood, "Jenn, I need to see Tony and I need to see him now, so you better tell me where he is."

"You go to Tony and you risk Delgardo finding him."

"You don't think I know when I'm being followed?"

"Are you willing to risk Tony's life on that?" Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"_Tell me where he is,_" Gibbs repeated forcefully.

Gibbs exited the study, leaving a silent Director staring at the floor. He moved quickly through the hallway. He opened the front door and exited into the cold night air, quickly jogging down the steps and towards his car.

"_Todd has a cabin, about an hour from here."_

He opened his unlocked car and climbed into the driver's seat. He quickly started the car and pulled out of the driveway. He was tired and hungry, but he wasn't about stop to eat and sleep, not when he was so close to seeing his senior field agent alive. He wasn't even about to stop for a much needed cup of hot black coffee.

"_Turn onto the highway and stay on it for half an hour."_

He looked both ways before pulling onto the half empty highway. At that time of night he wasn't expecting much traffic. He put his foot on the gas pedal and sped, over the speed limit, down the highway. His eyes never strayed from the road in front of him, so focused on getting to Tony that he almost missed the exit.

"_Take the first exit on the right, after the sign for Ginnie's Diner." _

Gibbs switched on his indicator light and after checking it was clear, turned off onto the road. The orange street lamps that lit up the highway faded away as he drove further and further away from it. The country road was completely dark and Gibbs had to turn the headlights on to full to light up the road. The road wound through a large spooky forest and Gibbs had to stop a couple of times to avoid killing animals as they ran into the road.

"_Two lefts and then a right, follow that road all the way down."_

Gibbs turned onto another road and then five minutes later turned left again onto a third road. The darkness made the surroundings unrecognisable and Gibbs had no idea where he was. All he knew as that no-one had followed him. He'd made sure. There was no way anyone could have kept up with his speeding.

"_At the end of that road is the cabin's driveway, the entrance is just off the road, less that fifty yards."_

It seemed like hours before he reached the end of the road but Gibbs knew it had only been minutes. The car shook as it moved down the dirt track and into the gravel driveway. He turned off the engine and peered through the windshield at the small cabin. It was completely dark apart from a small window at the front where light glowed through the cracks of the curtain. He stepped out of the car and stretched out. He raised his arms above his head and stretched until his vertebrae clicked loudly.

The gravel crunched under his boots as he made his way towards the cabin. He stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. When he was met with silence he knocked again harder. Finally he heard movement inside the cabin. Footsteps neared the door and Gibbs heard the distinctive sound of a gun cocking.

"Who is it?" A familiar voice asked through the door.

"It's Gibbs!" He shouted back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I know….Jenny told me everything"

"What's the password?" The voice demanded.

"What is this? Aladdin's cave?"

"I have to make sure. Please, just answer the question"

Gibbs sighed "North by Northwest," he answered, rolling his eyes, knowing full well who had chosen the movie title as a password. A moment later the door was unlocked and then opened. He nodded at the man. "Doctor Gelfand," he greeted.

"Gibbs," Gelfand nodded back stepping to one side to let Gibbs inside. "Please, call me, Todd." Gibbs took in his surroundings as he entered the cabin. The small living area included a loveseat and an armchair that faced towards a dying fire in a stone fireplace. Over to the right, was a small kitchen area, cupboards, a small fridge and stove and a simple wooden table sitting in the far corner. To the left were two doors, presumably the bedroom and bathroom. Both doors were closed and Gibbs wondered which one Tony was in.

"What are you doing here?" Todd asked, putting down the shotgun in his hand and moving back towards the fire.

"Jenny told me everything, I came to see Tony."

"It's nearly two o'clock in the morning. He's fast asleep."

"I know, I just…I need to see him."

Todd nodded, "Okay."

"How is he, Doc?"

"Considering the circumstances he's doing well, no infection…yet. His beathing is improving and I've already started decreasing his morphine dosage."

"That's good".

"That's beyond good," Todd replied, "He heals quicker than you." He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Gibbs smiled back, "He always did. I've never seen anyone bounce back as fast as him."

Todd nodded towards the first door, "He's in there, take as much time as you need."

"Thanks," Gibbs started towards the door.

"Just keep it quiet, okay? He still needs his rest," Todd added.

Gibbs nodded to the Doctor before continuing towards the door. He gripped the door handle with his right hand and slowly twisted it. The door opened with a muted click and Gibbs pushed the door open. The room was completely dark apart from a few LED lights from the various machines still hooked up to Tony. Gibbs stepped into the room, letting the light from the living room light up the bedroom. His eyes fell onto the sleeping figure in the bed and Gibbs sighed. He moved around the bed and sat in the empty chair. His eyes adjusted in the semi-darkness and he finally made out Tony's face, his eyes were closed and his breathing even as he slept peacefully. He reached out a hand and ran his hand over Tony's hair, brushing the hair away from his face softly. Tony let out an easy sigh, visibly relaxing further at Gibbs' touch.

"Tony," Gibbs whispered, not expecting an answered. "I'm so glad you're alive," he added. He moved his hand down away and rested it on top of Tony's hand. He could feel the warmth of Tony's hand and the slight thump of his pulse and for the first time since hearing about Tony's death, Gibbs fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

hope the ending wasn't too soppy for Gibbs. I thought that considering no-one could hear him he'd be a bit more emotional - what do you think? 


	11. Chapter 11

More thank yous to all those who keep reviewing - it always puts a smile on my face and makes me writer faster!! Keep it up and i'll keep posting :) Hope you like this chapter

* * *

Tony woke to the bright light flooding through his bedroom window, he scrunched up his eyes, trying to hold on to unconsciousness but failing miserably. As his mind focused, he realised a warm hand was covering his. He turned his head and frowned at sight of Gibbs sitting by his bed fast asleep. He smiled and slowly pulled his hand out from under Gibbs'. Gibbs stirred at the movement and slowly opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times before focusing on Tony.

"For a second there..." Gibbs spoke, rubbing a hand through his hair.

Tony gave a half shrug, "It's real. I'm alive."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Tony answered, shuffling slightly under the covers. "The Doc's got me on some pretty strong stuff."

"Speaking of," a third voice said. Tony looked up and smiled as Todd entered the room holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "That's for you," he handed the mug to Gibbs before turning to Tony, "and this is for you." He stepped up to the bed and placed it on the bedside table before grabbing a pillow from under the bed. "Help me will you?" He asked of Gibbs.

"Sure," Gibbs stood.

"I'm gonna lift him up. Place the pillow under him when I do." Gibbs nodded in understanding and gripped the edges of the pillow ready. "You ready?" He asked Tony and Tony nodded, gritting his teeth. Todd slipped one arm under Tony's back and a second on his far shoulder and slowly lifted him up. Tony whimpered slightly, but didn't cry out at the movement. "Quickly," Todd ordered and Gibbs pushed the pillow underneath. Once it was in position, Tony was slowly lowered down and he sighed in relief. "Better?"

"Much," Tony replied.

"Here," Todd handed over the glass of water and then handed over two white pills "Take these," he ordered.

"Yes sir," Tony threw his head back and chucked the pills into his mouth before gulping down the glass of water. He handed the empty glass back to Todd. "Happy?" Tony grinned.

"Ecstatic," Todd replied dryly. "I need to check your dressings."

Tony sighed before pushing back the covers, "Check away." Gibbs watched as Todd snapped on a pair of gloves, then pulled back the bandages covering Tony's wounds. Tony hissed as Todd prodded one too hard. Gibbs watched, unable to look away from the stitched up holes on Tony's chest.

"Sorry," Todd apologised.

"S'Okay. How am I doing Doc?"

"It's good," Todd nodded. "There's no inflammation, the wound's dry. You'll be up and about before you know it." Todd turned and opened a nearby cupboard, pulling out fresh dressings. "Your heart rate's not looking too bad either," Todd added, looking up at the cardiac monitor as he re-dressed the wounds.

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Tony replied sarcastically and Todd chuckled.

"It's January," Todd replied.

"A belated miracle?" Tony tried.

"How about three good surgeons and a boat load of medication?"

Tony grinned, "That too."

"Okay," Todd pulled the covers back over Tony. "Get some rest; I'll be back in with your pills in a couple of hours."

"I know, I know," Tony shooed the Doctor away.

Todd stopped at the doorway and looked at Gibbs, "I'll just be in the other room if you need anything."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Just go finish that book." Todd laughed and closed the door behind him.

"Book?" Gibbs questioned, returning to his seat.

"I've spent ninety percent of my time here unconscious and without a TV here, there hasn't been much to do," Tony explained. "So," he began, "When did Jenny tell you?"

"Last night, after I barged into her house and demanded an explanation."

"Wish I'd been there."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "Me too."

"About that-"

"You mean the fact that you lied to me, took part in a long term undercover operation, got yourself shot, faked your own death and hid in a cabin in the middle of the woods while we attended your funeral?"

"Yep, that."

Gibbs leant back into his chair. "An explanation would be nice."

"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry I lied to you….But you can't tell me that if our places were switched you wouldn't do the same thing"

"Tony-" Gibbs began but Tony continued.

"You were in Mexico okay? I was leading the team, a team who reminded me everyday how I wasn't good enough. Then Jenny offered me the undercover operation. It was something I knew I'd be good at, I wanted to feel like I was needed," _I needed to feel like I was wanted,_ he added silently. He sighed and leaned his head back against the pillow.

"Why didn't you tell me when I returned?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head, "I don't know….by then I was so deep in that there was no way out. I didn't want to risk anything"

"You thought I would risk things?"

"No!" Tony tried to sit up and winced as he pulled his stitches. "No," he repeated, slumping back down on the bed.

"Then what?"

"I…" Tony began. "I didn't want to hear you tell me how I'd disappointed you." Tony turned his head away and stared at the wall.

"Hey." Tony didn't move. "Hey," Gibbs repeated, taking his hand and forcing Tony to look at him, "I have never and will never be disappointed in you…okay?"

Tony nodded, "Okay."

"Good, now how about you answer question two on my long list of questions."

Tony groaned, "Fine, ask away."

"Why didn't you come to me? You chose to fake your death? I could have protected you."

Tony gave a slight shrug, "It felt safer I guess."

"Safer?"

"Yeah, no chance for Delgardo to finish the job, plus I knew if he thought I was dead he'd think he was safe, think he'd won. People who think like that make mistakes."

"And you knew that I'd catch him the minute he made a mistake."

Tony nodded, "You found him yet?" He asked, hoping the question would distract Gibbs from his own line of questioning.

Gibbs shook his head slightly, "Nothing substantial, he's too well connected."

"That's why it took us nearly seven months to finalise the exchange in the first place. He trusts less people that you do."

"You know I wondered about all those hospital appointments you disappeared off to. Ziva thought you were ill," Gibbs smiled.

Tony chuckled, "And she thought I couldn't lie to her."

"You proved us all wrong," Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"I'm going to be apologising until I'm 60, aren't I?"

"Apologising, grovelling," Gibbs shrugged, "And who says I'll let you back anyway?" Gibbs smiled at Tony's horrified expression. "You know we already have your replacement," he added, knowing the reaction it would cause. Tony had always been insecure when it came to his place on the team. Feeling replaceable and finding it hard to compete against MIT schooled McGee and super assassin Ziva.

Tony's eyes widened, "You do?"

"Name's Warren Hunter, hard worker."

"But he's no _me_, right Boss? Come on, I come back from the dead and this is how you repay me?" Gibbs laughed. "There is no way Abs likes this guy," Tony shook his head, "It took her months to warm up to Ziva."

"I think she referred to him as a Calvin Klein model," Gibbs spoke, taking Abby's description out of context just to see the expression on Tony's face.

"This is so unfair."

"Hey, I'm not the one lying around in bed, doped up on some pretty nice pain medication while other people do his dirty work."

"Dirty work? And anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm recovering from gun shot wounds to the chest and gut. I'm still on liquids for crying out loud!" Tony exclaimed, pointing to the IV he was still hooked up to.

"Do you ever stop moaning?" Gibbs asked.

"Up until last night you thought I was dead, where's the love?"

Gibbs motioned to the cup of coffee, the forgotten drink now cold. "Haven't had my coffee yet," he explained.

"Of course, you can't start the day without coffee," Tony said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "By all means, go get another cup."

Gibbs placed his hands on the chair's arms and pushed himself up and out of it. "You'll be here when I return?" He asked.

"I'll be fast asleep," Tony yawned. "But I'll be here," he reassured.

Gibbs nodded, "Good." He picked up the cold coffee and made his way to the bedroom door. He opened the door before stopping. He twisted his neck round, taking one last good look at an almost asleep Tony before stepping through the doorway.

"Hey," Todd looked up from his book and greeted as Gibbs re-entered the living area.

Gibbs nodded. "Hey," he returned.

"Looking for more coffee?" Todd asked "There's a jar of instant in the top cupboard."

"Thanks," Gibbs moved passed the couch and into the small kitchen area, finding everything he needed quickly. "So," he began, "Two questions, why are you doing this and where did all that hospital equipment come from?"

Todd laughed, "Okay, well." The book was closed and placed down on the coffee table. "Jenny asked me to do this. She told me how important it was and how she couldn't trust anyone else." He rose and walked over to Gibbs. "I couldn't say no. The hospital thinks I'm on holiday." He smiled, "And as for the hospital equipment." He shrugged, "I gave Jenny a list of everything Tony needed and she just turned up with everything. Didn't ask where she got it all from and I'm not sure I want to know."

"She's always been well connected," Gibbs explained.

"She phoned not long after you turned up last night. Told me to tell you that she'll be up here later and that the longer you're here the more suspicious your team will be."

Gibbs sipped his newly made mug of coffee. "Let them," he said simply, "They should know Tony's alive too."

"You really think that's a good idea?" Todd questioned.

Within seconds, Gibbs had downed the entire mug of hot coffee. "The director was right, I really should be getting back." He put the empty mug down on the work surface harder than necessary and made his way to the door. "Tell Tony I'll be back later." Todd nodded. Gibbs yanked open the door, stepped outside into the cold morning air and closed the door behind with without a goodbye, silently making his way back to his car.


	12. Chapter 12

Many big thank you's to all of you who keep reviewing!! also many thank you's to my beta and to my family who have to hear me talking endlessly about this fic that's been in the works for many months before I started posting! lol keep it up :)

* * *

Ziva drummed her nails against the wooden desk impatiently. Her other hand was busy supporting her head as she stared across the room at McGee.

McGee sighed, "What?" He asked without looking up from his computer.

Ziva lifted her head from her hand and leaned back in her chair as far as it would go "Nothing," she replied.

McGee nodded, "Okay." He continued typing.

"No," Ziva shook her head, "I mean I have nothing, no leads, no contacts to phone, no work to do."

McGee stopped typing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he looked up at his co-worker. "Nothing at all?" He asked.

"Would I be doing a very poor impression of Tony if I did?" She snapped back before she realised what she had said. McGee visibly flinched and he tore his eyes away from Ziva. Ziva kicked herself. "Tim," she spoke softly, ready to apologise when Warren appeared from around the corner.

"Morning," he greeted cheerfully, unaware of the tension between McGee and Ziva. He slung his backpack under his desk and dropped into his chair. Just like Tony used to do, Ziva noted silently. Warren's chair spun round to face the centre of the squad room and he frowned. "Where's Gibbs?"

"We don't know," Ziva answered.

Warren twisted his wrist and took note of the time. "Is he normally late?"

"Never," McGee replied. He looked up at the walkway above their heads "He's probably in MTAC or with the director."

"His car isn't in its space," Ziva spoke up.

"Should we be worried?" Warren asked.

McGee looked over at Ziva with concern, the tension forgotten as he spoke, "You don't think…?"

"That he's gone after Delgardo on his own?" Ziva finished the sentence. She rose from her seat and circled her desk before perching on the edge of it.

McGee shrugged, "He certainly kept us out of the loop after Kate."

Ziva remembered. Hearing her brother talk, seeing him aim the gun at Gibbs and aiming her own gun at him, pulling the trigger before he had the chance. She swallowed before speaking, "Give it another hour, if he's not back by then we'll start looking." McGee nodded. "In the meantime," she began.

McGee sighed, "Keep looking for Delgardo."

Warren rose from his own seat and stepped forward. "I've been thinking about that," he spoke.

McGee narrowed his eyes, "Go on."

"Delgardo's too good at what he does to be found easily. He knows how to cover his tracks."

"Which is why all we've come up with so far is dead ends," Ziva supplied.

"Exactly, but-," Warren paused dramatically, "We know that he always has an entourage, trusted men to do his dirty work."

Ziva lifted herself off the edge of the desk. "Men who might not be as good at covering their tracks as Delgardo," she finished Warren's train of thought.

"Exactly!" Warren exclaimed, "We find them? Delgardo can't be far behind." He smiled.

"That might just work."

"Might?" Warren asked "This is the best chance we have!"

Ziva nodded, "Okay, these men must have criminal records. We start looking for any men who have regular ties to Delgardo." She moved back around her desk and dropped into her seat, her fingers immediately reaching for her keyboard. All morning she'd been filled with the feeling that they'd never find Tony's killer. The thought that Delgardo would get away had been eating away at her for much longer, knowing they could be closer than ever invigorated her. She spied a glance at McGee, whose fingers were gliding across his keyboard with ease. She smiled.

* * *

The trio had been so busy following up leads that they'd barely heard the elevator doors ping and open. Their leader stepped out and walked into the large room. He watched them at work then reluctantly announced his presence. He cleared his throat loudly and they looked up.

"Boss," McGee spoke first, "We were worried about you."

Gibbs moved past them and slid around his desk. He dug into his pocket and dropped his cell phone on the desk "You try my cell, McGee?"

"Well, uh. No Boss," McGee stuttered.

"Then you can't have been too worried," he reasoned. "What do you have?" He asked, getting straight down to business.

"Nothing," McGee began. "Yet!" He added as Gibbs opened his mouth to speak. "But we're close, very close," he added quickly.

"We're tracing Delgardo's goons, hoping they will lead us straight to him."

Gibbs nodded. "Good idea."

"Well, actually it was Warren's idea," Ziva explained.

Gibb's eyes looked over at Warren, the praise wasn't repeated but he gave the younger man a slight nod. The group quickly got back to work, working silently and efficictely to find the information they needed.

Gibbs caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he looked up, pulling the glasses from his face. Jenny descended the stirs slowly and made her way to the centre of the room "Director," Gibbs greeted warily. He'd seen that look on her face before, remembered what had come after it. He rose from his seat.

Ziva looked up and frowned at the pale faced Director, her facial expression, her posture, it was all too familiar.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked.

Jenny looked up at Gibbs with watery eyes."Pearson," she answered, "Brian Pearson."

"Dead?" Gibbs asked bluntly and Jenny nodded. Gibbs moved quickly towards the director, grasped her upper arm and pulling her away from his team and towards the window. "What happened?" He questioned.

"DC police found his body, on a road leading out of Bethesda. His arms were tied behind his back, one shot point black through the head."

"Execution style," Gibbs spoke. Jenny nodded. "Delgardo."

"Who else?"

"Why didn't you offer Brian the same choice as Tony?"

Jenny could feel the blame in Gibbs voice. "I did!" She spat back. "He didn't want it. He has a family Gibbs. He didn't want to put them through that. He thought that if he just stayed low…We'd catch Delgardo long before they found him."

"Did he know?" Gibbs asked, "Did he know about Tony?" When she didn't answer Gibbs grasped her arm tighter, "Jenn, did Brian know about Tony?"

She nodded "Yes….He didn't know where, but he knew."

Gibbs sighed, his hand fell away from Jenny's arm and his heard turned towards the window. "With Delgardo's connections, it won't be long before he finds Tony….and finishes the job."

Jenny's eyes widened, "Oh God!"

Gibbs stepped away from the window, "Gear up!" He bellowed to his team. They jumped at the noise but instantly obeyed the order. He turned back to Jenny, "Call Gelfand, warn him!" He ordered.

"What's going on Boss?" McGee asked his gun already at his belt ready to go.

"I'll explain on the way, right now every second matters," Gibbs stormed into the elevator, quickly followed by McGee, Ziva and Warren.


	13. Chapter 13

It's getting good now - please keep reviewing!!

* * *

Warren repressed the urge to vomit as the car swerved and he was flung into the car door for the third time since Gibbs had accelerated out of the car park. He was jealous of the others, though slightly green; they were used to Gibbs' driving and didn't seem too bothered by the erratic movements.

"When are you going to tell us where we are going?" He asked, still in the dark about everything. Gibbs had barely spoken since ordering them to gear up, leading them to the car in silence.

"Yeah Boss," McGee joined in. "What's going on?" He asked from the adjacent seat. Ziva glanced at them from the front seat, but said nothing.

"I'm going to tell you something," Gibbs began, keeping his steely eyes on the road in front of him. "But we don't have time for questions. I'm going to tell you and then you are going to accept it. You understand me?"

He looked into the rear view mirror and watched the two men each send him a silent nod. He looked back at the road for a second before looking at Ziva. He could see the hesitation in her eyes before nodding. "Tony's alive," Gibbs finally confessed to the team. "Director Sheppard faked his death in order to keep Delgardo from looking for him," Gibbs ignored the gasps of shock as the information sunk in. "We have reason to believe Delgardo has found out about Tony"

"What…" McGee began.

"I'm pretty sure I said no questions McGee!" Gibbs snapped. "Tony doesn't have time for questions."

With Gibbs' over the speed limit driving, they'd made it to the cabin within twenty minutes. Gibbs put his foot on the brake and the car stopped immediately, McGee and Warren lurched forward unexpectedly, nearly breaking their noses on the seats in front. The group exited the car quickly and effectively and instantly went to the trunk and grabbed Kevlar, strapping the protective vests to their chests. Spare clips were stored in pockets and guns were pulled from belts, the safety's switched off and the guns cocked.

Gibbs moved towards the cabin first but stopped as a hand wrapped it's way around his bicep and stopped him midstride. Gibbs swung his head round and glared at the person who had stopped him.

"What the hell do you think are doing?" He hissed.

"How long?" Ziva asked, "How long have you known?"

"Now is not the time."

"Now is exactly the time!" She replied quickly, "How long have you known?" She repeated the question.

Gibbs sighed. "Last night," he answered, "I found out last night. Happy now?"

She shook her head, "Far from it." She pulled her hand away from his arm and brushed past him, her gun already raised in front of her.

Gibbs nodded at Warren and McGee, motioning to them with simple hand movements to go round the back of the cabin. They nodded back and disappeared swiftly around the side. He moved up behind Ziva and she turned back to look at him. Her eyes moved from his to the door and Gibbs noticed what Ziva had been looking at. The door was ajar slightly. No way would Todd have left it ajar. He hadn't opened the door to him until he had said the password, gun in his hand just in case. The open door meant one thing.

Gibbs moved quietly in front of Ziva and slowly pushed the door open. His raised gun entered the room first, quickly followed by the rest of Gibbs. He scanned the room quickly, stepping to one side to let Ziva in. She scanned the room herself, her eyes narrowing, ready to shoot anything that moved. Gibbs stepped forward and towards the living areas whilst Ziva headed towards the kitchen area.

Gibbs' eyes widened at the sight of a pair of shoes, jutting out from behind the couch and he rushed towards them, his gun still raised and ready. Moving round the couch he eyes met the sight of the doctor sprawled out on the floor unconscious. He crouched by the body and put two fingers to his neck. Gibbs showed no emotion when he felt the heartbeat under his finger tips. He turned to Ziva. "Help him," he ordered quietly. He stood back up as Ziva knelt down next to the unconscious Doctor.

He lifted his gun back up and moved towards the first room, Tony's bedroom. A movement out of the corner of his eyes had Gibbs pivoting quickly and aiming his gun. He relaxed slightly at the sight of McGee and Warren aiming their guns back at him. He nodded to the closed door and the pair instantly moved behind Gibbs without question. He counted down from three in his head before lifting up his right leg and kicked the door wide open. The door slammed back against the wall hard as Gibbs marched in, Warren and McGee a second behind him.

It didn't take long for Gibbs to realize the room was empty. The bed covers were strewn on the floor, the IV line was dangling from the pole, a puddle of blood and saline underneath the needle. Blood smeared the bed covers and the floor next to the open window and Gibbs knew the stitches holding Tony's wounds closed had been ripped open violently by whatever had happened to him. He didn't know if Tony had escaped or had been taken but one thing he did know was that they couldn't have gotten far.

"This is where Tony was?" McGee asked.

Gibbs nodded "The injuries were real, the dying part wasn't," he answered "Dr. Gelfand was looking after him."

"Where's Tony now?"

Gibbs stepped towards the open window. "Out there somewhere," he replied, staring at the dense forest. He turned and exited the bedroom, his eyes instantly zooming in on the now-conscious doctor. Ziva had sat the man up and was holding a handkerchief to the cut on his forehead. "What happened?" Gibbs asked.

Todd sighed, still groggy, "I don't know. Some guys burst through the door. The next thing I remember is you guys showing up."

"Where's Tony?" Ziva repeated McGee's question.

"In the woods," Gibbs answered.

Ziva frowned, "How do you know they didn't take him by car? He could be anywhere by now"

"One set of tire tracks. Ours," Gibbs answered. "Footprints outside the window leading into the forest," he added.

"I don't get it boss," McGee stepped out from behind Gibbs, frowning in confusion. "Why take Tony? Why not kill him on the spot? That's what Delgardo wanted isn't it? Tony dead."

Gibbs looked up at McGee. "They want to teach him a lesson first," he replied bluntly.


	14. Chapter 14

Not that much more to go now! That doesn't mean I still won't beg for more reviews :) Hope you like this chapter (Got to draw out the tension for as long as possible)

* * *

"_You'll be here when I return?" He asked._

"_I'll be fast asleep," Tony yawned. "But I'll be here," he reassured._

Gibbs tore his eyes away from the empty bedroom and towards his team. They looked at him for answers that Gibbs wasn't sure he had.

"If they didn't drive up to the cabin, how did they get here?" Warren asked.

Gibbs looked at the newest member of the team. "They came from the forest."

"A surprise attack from behind," Ziva surmised and Gibbs nodded in agreement.

"How big are the woods, Doc?" Gibbs asked.

Todd looked up at Gibbs wearily and gave a slight shrug, "I don't know." He shook his head, "A hundred acres? Maybe more."

Gibbs sighed, "We can't cover all the ground."

"How far do you think they could have gotten?" McGee questioned.

"It can't be that far," Ziva spoke before Gibbs could open his mouth and supply his own answer. "They must be carrying Tony, and he's a lot heavier than he'd admit to."

"And if he's conscious, he won't exactly be making it easy for them," McGee smirked.

"Okay, McGee call an ambulance," Gibbs ordered. "_Tony will need one when we find him," _he added silently."Make that two. The Doc'll need to be checked out too." McGee nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

"I'll be fine," Todd argued.

Ziva pulled the handkerchief away from the wound. "You're still bleeding," she told him.

"No arguments," Gibbs told the doctor. He looked at each member of his team, one of them had to stay behind and wait for the ambulances with Todd. "McGee," he finally said as McGee hung up the phone, "Stay here."

McGee's eyes widened, "But Boss…"

"I need someone to wait for the ambulances. Get some back up here too. Anyone you can, dogs, get a helicopter up here if you have to," McGee nodded dumbly. "And keep the director appraised of the situation," he added.

"I got it, Boss," McGee obeyed reluctantly. He wanted to be out there in the words looking for Tony.

"You guys with me," Gibbs motioned for Ziva and Warren to follow him out the front door. They followed him out the door into the early afternoon sunlight and around the perimeter of the cabin until they reached the indentations in the mud where Delgardo and his goons had stood. They watched as Gibbs crouched by the footprints.

"What's he doing?" Warren leant over and whispered to Ziva.

"The man is an ex-sniper," Ziva answered, "He can track better than a hound."

"What kind of hound?" Warren asked with genuine interest.

Ziva looked at the man in surprise, "What?"

"Well," he shrugged, "There are like thirty-nine hound breeds."

"How would you know something like that!" She exclaimed.

"I'm a bit of a dog lover," Warren admitted, "I have a German Sheppard at home called…"

"You really think this is the time for this," Gibbs interrupted angrily, rising to his feet and glaring at Warren.

"No Boss," Warren answered quickly.

Gibbs tore his eyes away and pointed to the foot prints. "He tried to walk," Gibbs began. "Or they made him walk," he added pointing to the four sets of prints. He took a couple of strides and pointed down. "Then four become three, two of which sink deeper into the ground."

"As if carrying something?" Ziva asked.

"Tony," Gibbs answered, "This way." He nodded towards the dense forest. He didn't wait for Ziva and Warren before pulling his gun from his belt and making his way into the woods. Ziva and Warren did the same and quickly followed.

They silently made their way between the tall trees and over fallen branches. Almost ten minutes later, Gibbs held a fist up. Ziva and Warren halted behind him and waited patiently for the reason for the sudden stop. They watched as Gibbs took a small step forward and lifted a hand to the nearest tree branch.

"What is it?" Warren whispered.

Gibbs showed them a twig handing off the branch. "They came this way," he explained, his voice so low the pair had trouble hearing him.

Another twenty minutes later and Gibbs stopped again. "Where now?" Ziva asked. The forest divided into two thin stony paths.

Gibbs glanced back at Ziva. "Stay here," he told them. His eyes narrowed and looked down each path. He went left first, moving carefully and quietly, looking for any clues. He crouched down and moved stones, picked up leaves and twigs. He sighed and turned back. He passed Warren and Ziva and then up the second path. It didn't take him long to find what he needed. "This way," he told them. They joined him as he knelt by a rotting log.

"Are you sure?" Warren asked.

Gibbs pointed. "Blood," he said bluntly before standing up and carrying on down the path.

"Let's hope we don't find any more," Ziva said.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure it'll be the last," Warren replied.

"Why do you say that?"

"If we don't find Tony soon, he won't be leaving these woods alive," Gibbs supplied.

A faint noise in the woods had the trio's guns snapped up instantly. "What was that?" Ziva breathed.

"More to the point, where did it come from?" Warren added,

Gibbs began to run. "This way," he called back as he sped down the path. Ziva and Warren headed after him, breathing heavily as they raced to catch up with Gibbs. Another noise had Gibbs stopping and changing direction, leaping over another rotting log and disappearing into the dense bushes that filled the gaps between trees. Ziva and Warren barely managed to keep him in sight as they followed. They pushed through a particularly thick bush and leapt out into a small clearing. They looked up and stopped as two guns pointed at them, Gibbs stood ahead facing the guns, his own gun pointed back.

* * *

_Tony could barely keep his eyes opened as the two men carried him. He'd struggled at first, tried to escape but his energy had left him. He cursed the drugs that still coursed through his system even though his IV had been ripped from his hand a while ago. _

_It had all happened so quickly. One minute he was happily dozing away, the next thing he knew, three men had barged into the room with guns. He was pulled from the bad and practically thrown out of the window onto the ground. They'd followed him and pulled him to his feet. _

_He knew the minute he saw Delgardo's face that he wasn't going to last long and after every minute past he wondered why he was still alive. _

_He let them pull him into a small clearing and let them push him roughly against a tree, not caring how much pain it caused him. The pain pills he'd swallowed earlier that morning had worn off over half an hour before and every movement pulled at the stitched up bullet wounds. Tony suspected the stitches had torn, though he was too weak to find out. _

_He gritted his teeth as they pulled his arms back. If his stitches hadn't been pulled during the journey, they certainly had now. Rope appeared from somewhere, they wound it around him and tied him to the tree. Tony's head fell forward, no energy to hold it up. _

_A hand gripped a handful of his hair and ripped his head up. Toy's eyes met Delgardo's. "Hello Anthony DiNozzo," he said in his thick Italian accent. Tony didn't question how he knew his real name. If he could find him in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, then he could easily find out his name. _

"_Just…," Tony mumbled. _

"_I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."_

"_Just…get it over with."_

"_Get it over with?" Delgardo asked. "Why would I want to do that when I can play with you first?" Delgardo let go of his head, pulled back his fist and punched Tony. His fist connected with Tony's nose. A second punch opened a cut above Tony's eye and blood began to dribble down the side of Tony's face. _

"_That the…best you…got?" Tony breathed heavily. _

"_Oh, we're only just getting started" Delgardo replied, pulling a sharp knife from his coat pocket.

* * *

_

Gibbs stepped out into the clearing. His gun instantly up and aiming at three men. They all pulled out their own guns. The two unidentifiable goons' guns pointed towards Gibbs, whilst Delgardo thrust the large knife in his hand to Tony's neck, holding it tight against Tony's skin.

Gibbs heard the other members of his team arrive behind him but he didn't dare take his eyes away from the guns pointing at him.

Tony was being held up by the ropes binding him to the tree, his head had fallen forward limply. Two blood stains on his t-shirt told Gibbs that the gun shot wounds had re-opened and if they didn't get Tony to a hospital as soon as possible then he would bleed to death.

"Don't even think about it!" Delgardo shouted, pushing the knife further into Tony's skin. Gibbs could see blood already coating the knife and wondered what damage had already been done by Delgardo. _Were they too late?_

"Tony?" Gibbs called. Tony tried to lift his head but failed miserably but it was enough for Gibbs. "Let. Him. Go," Gibbs enunciated slowly.

Delgardo tilted his head to one side. "No," he answered simply.


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry for the long wait - I've been incredibly busy with my first photography exhibition. It all went well and now I have the time to finish this story!! Hope you are still enjoying it, plase read and review.

* * *

"Let. Him. Go," Gibbs enunciated slowly.

Delgardo tilted his head to one side. "No," he answered simply.

Gibbs gripped his gun tighter, "If you kill Tony, I'm not going to let you leave here alive."

"And if I let him live, you'll just let me go?" Delgardo challenged. Gibbs said nothing. "I thought not," he smiled widely, showing off a shiny gold tooth. "We can't stand here all day."

"Somewhere to be?" Gibbs asked. He wished he had organized this better. If he hadn't just run into the situation. If they had stopped and worked out a plan, Ziva and Warren could have gone around and surprised them from behind. Now Tony was paying the price for Gibbs' impulsiveness.

"He should have died the night I shot him!" Delgardo spat.

"I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about you."

"I trusted him!" The Italian shouted, "Then he betrayed me!"

"He was doing his job! Catching a criminal"

"He obviously wasn't doing his job very well…seems I caught him."

"Not for long."

A twig snapped and the goons turned to the sound, distracted enough for Ziva and Warren to put a bullet in them both. The two men fell to the ground. The knife against Tony's neck was pulled away and Gibbs fired at Delgardo. He missed when Delgardo slid behind the tree. The knife was dropped and a gun was pulled. Delgardo aimed around the tree and fired wildly. The group dropped to the ground, dodging the wild bullets. Once the bullets stopped Gibbs surged forward and around the tree. Delgardo was missing. The sounds of footsteps ahead of him had Gibbs running. He was so close he could hear Delgardo's ragged breaths as he tried to run away.

"Stop," Gibbs shouted as he sped forward. He leapt out from behind a wide tree and was face by Delgardo's retreating back. "Stop," he repeated. Delgardo heard the unmistakeable sound of a gun cocking and stopped.

"Are you going to let me live?" Delgardo shouted his back still to Gibbs.

"You didn't let Brian Pearson live!" Gibbs shouted back.

"An eye for an eye?"

"The world would be a lot better without you in it," Gibbs replied.

"Unfortunately…that's not for me to decide," he added. "Put your hands in the air now," he ordered. Delgardo didn't move. "Now!" Gibbs repeated. "Hands in the air!" His voice rose until it echoed in the empty forest.

Delgardo spun, his gun aimed at Gibbs. Gibbs reacted instantly, and before Delgardo could get a single shot off, Gibbs pulled the trigger twice, the bullets to the chest and gut killing Delgardo instantly. As soon as Delgardo's body hit the ground, Gibbs had turned and was running back to Tony.

* * *

McGee slammed his phone shut. The Director had been informed and he could already hear the sirens from the ambulances. He pushed the cell phone back into his jacket pocket, his hand brushed against the gun at his waist. He wished for the hundredth time that he'd been able to go with his team to find Tony. He hated being left behind.

"It's okay, you can leave me."

"Nice try, Doctor," McGee told the older man. "I'm not going anywhere until you are in an ambulance."

Todd rolled his eyes, "You've spent too much time with Special Agent Gibbs."

McGee gave a weak smile, "I'll take that as a compliment." The sound of an engine and crunching gravel sent McGee to the front door. The first of the ambulances had arrived. Two men in green uniforms jumped out, gathering the necessary equipment before walking towards McGee.

"I'm Nick. This is Danny," the first one introduced himself. The younger paramedic nodded.

"Tim McGee," McGee replied. "Your patient's in here." He nodded and stood back so the men could enter. "What's the ETA on the second ambulance?" McGee asked.

"They're only a couple of minutes behind," McGee nodded.

Nick moved ahead and quickly identified Todd as their patient. "It's just a mild concussion," Todd spoke as Nick knelt down by Todd.

"And how would you know that?" Nick asked.

"I'm a doctor," Todd explained, "Bethesda."

"Well good for you…you won't mind if I check you out anyway?"

Todd sighed, "Feel free." The paramedics got to work just as the second ambulance arrived. "Go," Todd told him. "The longer Tony goes without help, the less chance he has."

McGee nodded. "We'll see you at the hospital?" Todd nodded; McGee nodded back before disappearing out the door. He met the second pair of paramedics, Rachel and Tom, and pulled them into the forest with him. He had seen which direction the team had gone and he was relying on footprints and sound to tell him where they were.

They travelled deeper into the woods and McGee hoped he was going in the right direction; Tony depended on him getting the paramedics to him. He stopped mid-stride at the sound of talking and quickly moved towards the sound. "Stay here," he whispered to the paramedics. "Don't move until I say it's safe." They nodded dumbly. McGee pulled his gun out and clicked the safety off. He strode towards the sound, making sure to stay quiet. He pressed his against a tree and peered around. He spotted his team with their guns drawn and found two large men with their guns pointed at his team. A third, with his back to McGee, was standing next to a tree. He stood a step forward and winced as a twig snapped beneath his foot. Two guns were instantly pointing in his direction. He sighed in relief as his team took down the men with the guns. Wild gunfire had him leaping back behind the tree. He peered back around just as Gibbs ran past him and disappeared into the woods.

"McGee?" Ziva asked.

McGee stepped out "What just happened?" He asked.

Warren slapped McGee on the back, "You just saved our bacon."

"Tony?" Ziva called. McGee looked up and finally caught sight of Tony, beaten, bloody and tied to a tree. It was one thing knowing Tony was alive, but seeing it for himself was another thing entirely. He rushed forward and joined Ziva at the tree.

"You got a knife?" McGee asked.

Ziva gave McGee a look before pulling out the sharp knife. "Hold him stead while I cut the rope."

McGee nodded. He watched as Ziva gripped the rope and began sawing through it. The final piece of rope was cut and McGee held Tony steady so he didn't fall. "Help me?" He asked and Warren appeared at his side.

"Careful," Ziva said as Warren and McGee slowly laid Tony on the ground. Tony made no sound and McGee's fingers instantly went to Tony's neck to feel for a pulse. It was weak but it was there.

"I brought help. Stay here while I go get them," McGee told them and disappeared.

The sudden sound of distant gunshots had Ziva and Warren's hands flying to their guns and their heads snapping up, scanning the area for any trouble. None came and they relaxed slightly. McGee appeared with two paramedics just as Gibbs reappeared. The paramedics rushed towards Tony and began pulling gauze and needles from their bags. An oxygen mask was placed over Tony's mouth and the team was pushed back as the paramedics got to work.

"Delgardo?" Ziva asked.

"Dead," Gibbs replied as he stood over Tony. "How's he doing?"

"Not great," one of them answered honestly, "He's lost quiet a lot of blood. His breathing's not too good either." The paramedic began to explain, "He could have a hemothorax…it's…"

"Bleeding in the pleural cavity, I know," Gibbs cut him off.

"Then you know how much trouble he's in,"

Gibbs sighed. "It'll take too long to carry him out of here," he thought out loud.

"I know," McGee spoke, "I thought of that already, that's why…" He stopped speaking when a familiar sound filled the air. The group looked up into the sky as the sound of a helicopter increased until it was hovering above them.

"There's no where for them to land!" Warren shouted above the sound of the rotating blades.

"Thought of that too!" McGee shouted back.

They watched as a single man was lowered to the ground. He unclipped himself from the rope and sent it back up to the helicopter.

"Special Agent McGee?" The man asked.

McGee raised his hand "That's me!"

"Lieutenant Cross."

"We're glad to see you. Our team member, Tony, he needs hospital treatment immediately."

Cross nodded and spoke into the radio fitted into his helmet, "This is Cross, we're gonna need the basket, over." Less than a minute later a metal basket was lowered to the ground. The paramedics lifted Tony and lowered him into the basked. Cross strapped Tony up tightly and tugged on the rope. A second later the basket was being lifted into the air. The group watched nervously as it neared the helicopter and they each breathed a sigh of relief as a hand reach out and pulled the basket inside.

"We're trained EMT's," he explained. "We'll keep him alive," he promised as another rope was lowered down. Cross attached himself to the rope and was lifted into the air.

Silence filled the air as the helicopter disappeared and each person standing in the clearing took in a deep breath. Everything had happened so quickly they barely had time to process it. It was Gibbs that spoke first.

"Come on," he said, "We need to get out of this forest and to the hospital." The three members of his team and the two paramedics nodded and silently followed Gibbs back to the cabin.


	16. Chapter 16

I apologise for the long wait but i've been tied up with uni work (essay's argh!) I'm back now and can finally finish this story. Enjoy

* * *

He didn't realize until after he'd pulled the emergency stop button how much of a Gibbs thing it was to do. He stood motionless in the dark elevator and sighed loudly. He'd wanted to go to the hospital with the rest of the team but he'd remembered that two members of the team had yet to be informed of Tony's bad Lazarus impression.

He still wasn't sure he'd taken it all in. Everything had happened so fast. One minute he was sitting at his desk, the next he was in a car being told Tony was alive and then not long after that a bloody and beaten Tony was being airlifted to the nearest hospital. He didn't know what to think. Should he be angry at the director from not telling the rest of the team? Should he be angry at Tony for agreeing to the stupid plan and letting them think he was dead? He wanted to feel relieved that Tony was still alive but at that moment, standing deathly still and silent in the elevator, McGee didn't know what to think or feel. He pushed the button and the elevator descended down and opened the doors to Abby's lab.

"McGee!" Abby jumped out from behind him as he stepped into her lab. McGee spun round and took a step back as Abby charged at him. "Where have you been? I've had nothing to do all morning and the team was nowhere to be found! Did you get a case and not tell me? You remember what happened last time?"

"Abby, stop."

Abby's mouth slammed shut and she frowned at McGee. "What is going on?"

"I've got to tell you something."

"Ookay," Abby replied warily. She moved towards her desk and sunk into her chair. "Lay it on me Timmy."

"Okay, there's some really great news and some not so great news."

"Bad news first," Abby decided quickly

McGee frowned, "Oh, er, okay well, Tony's in the hospital."

Abby sat up straight, "What?"

"The good news? Tony's alive!" McGee smiled sheepishly.

"Tony's alive? How? What happened?"

McGee shrugged, "The director faked his death. He was hiding up in the woods"

Abby narrowed her eyes, "Wait, he's in the hospital? What happened?"

"Delgardo found him, nearly beat him half to death."

"My poor baby!" Abby jumped from her seat. She grabbed her coat off the hook and pulled it on, buttoning up the long leather coat.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to Tony! I need to see that he's okay."

"Look, I've still got to tell Ducky the good and bad news. He'll want to go too"

"Fine," Abby looped her arm around McGee's. "The sooner we tell Ducky the sooner we can get to the hospital." She pulled him towards the door.

"You took this a lot better than I thought you would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked as they entered the elevator.

* * *

Ziva strode down the hallway, pivoted on the spot and strode back. Pacing had always helped her think better, and it meant she took out all her frustration on linoleum and not a person. She turned on the spot and immediately walked into a nurse.

"Sorry Ma'am," the nurse blurted an apology before rushing away.

Ziva audibly growled. "She called me Ma'am," she murmured as she continued her pacing.

She was angry,angry at the director for not telling her. She'd known Jenny Sheppard for a while and never imagined there would be so many secrets between the two after so many operations where trust between them was paramount. She was angry at Gibbs. The man who she looked up to, the man who had helped her become something other than a cold hearted assassin. He should have told them as soon as he'd found out. Instead he'd gone to be with Tony, while they sat and found Tony's murderer. And she was angry at Tony, who had chosen to hide instead of trusting the team. She knew she could have protected him. Did he have so little faith in her abilities?

* * *

Gibbs stood firmly against the corridor wall. He had a perfect view down both ends of the corridor, yet kept him out the way of hospital staff rushing about. To the left he watched Ziva pace angrily and to the left, Doctor Gelfand sat quietly in a chair waiting for any news on Tony.

The doctor had finally escaped from the ER. After the doctors had decided he, Todd, was telling the truth and there really was nothing wrong with him and hadn't left his seat since. Gibbs commended the man, he didn't need to stay, and it just showed how easily and quickly Tony befriended people.

Gibbs shifted from one foot to the other. He never liked waiting and the feelings of guilt that were weighing on him were making it worse. If he'd just stayed with Tony, then maybe he could have stopped Delgardo from taking Tony, prevented Tony from a world of pain. It was his fault that Tony was in a bad condition and there was only slight relief to know that Delgardo could never hurt Tony again.

He looked up to see McGee, Abby and Ducky rush towards him just as Tony's doctor started walking towards him from the other direction. He pushed himself away from the wall, turned him back on his team and met the doctor halfway. Footsteps behind him told him his team had joined him and were waiting eagerly to know how Tony was doing.

"I'm Doctor Friars," the woman introduced herself, holding her hand out for Gibbs to shake.

"Special Agent Gibbs," Gibbs replied, taking the offered hand and shaking it. "My team, Special Agent Tim McGee, Ziva David, Abby Scuito and Dr. Mallard." Doctor Friars nodded at each member of the group, her ponytail swaying wildly.

"Doctor," Gibbs cut to the chase, "How is he?"

"Not great," the young doctor answered honestly, hugging her clipboard tight against her chest. "But he's stable. He lost a lot of blood from the pulled stitches, so we've been transfusing him since he first arrived. The wounds were re-stitched and we're keeping an eye in case of infection. We're also pumping him full of antibiotics just in case. He was bleeding in the pleural cavity so we've put in a chest tube to drain the blood, it'll help him breath easier, which won't be easy considering he's broken two ribs and bruised the rest. He also has a slight concussion that we'll need to keep an eye on."

"Thanks Doc."

"Just remember, it could have been a lot worse"

"Can we see him?" Abby asked from behind Gibbs.

The doctor shook her head, "He's sleeping right now and I'd prefer he stay that way for the moment. The more he sleeps the quicker he will heal"

"When can we see him?" Gibbs asked.

"This evening maybe?" The doctor guessed, "But be warned, he's on some pretty medication and he'll be pretty out of it."

"Trust me, we're used to it," Ziva spoke up.

The doctor frowned at the comment. "I'm afraid the young man has a hard time staying out of trouble," Ducky explained.

The doctor smirked at Ducky. "I did wonder why his file was so thick!" She turned back to address the group. "I can call you back when he's ready to be seen," she offered.

"No thank you," Ziva told her. "We'll be staying right here," she moved toward the nearest chair and sat down. Abby, Ducky and McGee joined her.

Gibbs watched them for a moment before turning back to the doctor. "Doctor Friars."

She held up her to stop him. "Don't waste your breath," she told him and he frowned at the brusque reply. "I was looking through Tony's file not long ago. Want to know what I found on the first page?" Gibbs shook his head "A memo," the doctor answered, "Telling any future doctors that Anthony DiNozzo slept better when his boss was in the same room." She smiled. "Don't ask me why," she shrugged. "I've made sure a chair was put by his bed."

Gibbs nodded at the doctor, "Thank you." He moved passed the doctor and began walking towards Tony's room.

"I trust you won't do anything stupid, like try and wake my patient up?" Doctor Friars called after Gibbs.

Gibbs turned back, lifted two fingers to his mouth and zipped his mouth shut. Friars laughed and moved towards the nurses' station, unable to wipe the smile off her face as she heard the young goth speak.

"Gibbs' has all the fun."


	17. Chapter 17

This is the final chapter! Thank you to everyone that reviewed this story, couldn't have finished this story without you :) and thanks to my beta GB, thanks as always. I have no big stories planned but i'm sure it won't be long before I think of another way to torture Tony.

* * *

Tony scrunched up his eyes and shifted restlessly in the bed. His feet wiggled under the covers and he pushed his head further into the mattress. The more awake he became, the more he wanted to fall back to sleep as he began to feel the pain. His eyes burst open and he gasped. Each breath he took sent fiery daggers through his lungs.

"Hey DiNozzo." He recognized the voice but was still too out of it to recognize the face that leant over him. He squirmed and his muscles contracted painfully.

"DiNozzo!" The voice called again this time louder.

"Please," Tony whispered.

"Hey!" The voice shouted, "I need some help in here!" A hand gripped his and squeezed it tightly. "Focus Tony, squeeze my hand." Tony obeyed the order without questions and squeezed the hand as hard as he could. He barely noticed the second figure that leaned over him.

"He's in pain." The first voice spoke and less than a minute later Tony felt the pain subside, warmth spread through his body. He relaxed back onto the bad and sighed in relief. "You with me DiNozzo?"

Finally the voice and face merged together. Tony angled his head and squinted his eyes to get a better look at the figure. "Boss?" He asked weakly.

"Who else?"

"What r'you doin h'r," he mumbled.

Gibbs smiled, "Why do you think?"

"What…..happ'ned?"

"You remember Delgardo taking you into the woods?" Gibbs received a slight nod. "They tied you to a tree and beat you."

"Del….gardo?"

"Dead….you nearly joined him too…for a moment there in the woods I thought you were…" Gibbs didn't finish his sentence, he didn't need too.

"M'like a ….cat….nine…lives."

"I think you used up those nine lives years ago DiNozzo. You're on your twentieth life at least."

Tony smiled drowsily, "Others?"

Gibbs nodded towards the door, "Outside, fast asleep probably, they've been here all night."

"They..know?"

"No DiNozzo. They think they're here to see a different Tony DiNozzo," Gibbs replied sarcastically.

Tony sighed again. He looked down, patting his bad to search for injuries. He hissed when he pressed against stitching at his side.

"Chest tube," Gibbs supplied Tony with the answer to his unasked question. "They took it out early this morning."

"What else?"

"The bullet wounds ripped open. You have some pretty bad bruising and some broken ribs."

Tony smiled, "That all?"

"Count yourself lucky, it could have been a lot worse."

Tony settled further under the covers, "I knew you had m'back….boss."

He felt a hand pat his wrist, "Get some sleep DiNozzo."

Tony closed his eyes. "Yes boss," he mumbled as he quickly fell unconscious.

* * *

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Abby, you did not think Tony was alive."

"McGee!"

"I'm sorry Abs, but those were real tears."

"Well you cried too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"I bet Gibbs knew he was alive."

"There was no way Gibbs knew."

"Oh really?"

"Abs everyone thought he was dead."

"Except for Tony, and the Director and Doctor Todd."

"Well _they_ don't count!"

"Why not!"

"They just don't!"

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

Tony cracked open one eye. "Do I have to separate you two?" He asked. The figures standing either side of his bed stopped and looked down at him. He'd only just woken when the pair began to bicker. He didn't know what was worse, the searing pain in his lungs when he'd woken earlier, or the chatter keeping him awake now.

"Tony!" Abby cried happily.

When she opened her arms and began to lean down for a hug, Tony stopped her."I have cracked ribs and bullet holes, probably not a good idea to squeeze me till I can't breath."

She grinned and continued to lean down, kissing his forehead and leaving a black lip mark in its place. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"Me too Abs," Tony replied, "Where's Gibbs?"

"Coffee run," McGee answered. "Ziva went too."

"Ducky?"

"Had to go back home to look in on Mrs Mallard. He promised to be back later though." Tony nodded.

"You feeling okay?" Abby asked, brushing Tony's hair back soothingly.

"Mmhmm," Tony answered, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly. "Drugs are a man's best friend."

"Enjoy it while it lasts DiNozzo," a third voice said and Tony's eyes snapped open.

"Boss," Tony greeted with a lazy smile. A second later a couple more familiar faces entered the room. "Zee-va! Ducky!"

The medical examiner made his way to Tony's bedside. He took Tony's wrist in one hand and looked at his watch. "How are you doing Anthony?"

"You tell me."

"You've looked better," Ziva smirked.

Tony looked past Ducky and glared at Ziva, "I was talking to Ducky."

"Well my boy, looks to me like you'll make a full recovery," Ducky answered the question. "As long as you take it easy and don't try to come back to work before you're completely better," he added, raising an eyebrow at Tony.

"Hey McGee and…" he paused, "McGee wouldn't be alive if I hadn't returned to work early." _McGee and Kate_ he had nearly said and he knew everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Rest DiNozzo," Gibbs broke the silence, "That's an order."

"Boss!" Tony whined.

"Just because you have a concussion doesn't mean I won't save the head slaps for another time," Gibbs warned and Tony's eyes widened.

"Is no-one glad to see me alive?"

"Aww baby," Abby gave him another kiss, "I'm glad you're alive." Suddenly her eyes widened "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Tony asked.

"My necklace, the necklace you brought back for me from Germany, I put it on your coffin!"

"You mean this necklace?" Tony pulled something from under the covers and dangled it in front of Abby.

He tilted her head to one side and frowned in confusion, she took the item off Tony. "My necklace...but how?"

He glanced at Gibbs and then back at Abby. "What? Gibb's is the only allowed to have secrets?" Tony grinned, "Does that earn me another kiss?" Abby braced Tony's faced with both hands and planted a large kiss on Tony's lips. Tony's grin widened as Abby pulled away. "Nice."

"Whoa," another voice exclaimed and Tony looked round to see a young woman in a white coat, a stethoscope hung around her neck. The woman's eyes were wide. "Never seen so many people packed into such a small room, looks like you're a loved man Tony DiNozzo."

"No Doc, just one who rose from the dead," he corrected. She frowned and he shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he told her.

"Okay, well, as nice as this is? Tony really needs his rest, and you all look like you need some too," she addressed the group. She fiddled with Tony's IV before leaving the room.

"We'll be back tomorrow," McGee promised.

"I know you will Probie."

"Get some rest dear boy."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Yes Ducky."

"Try to leave the nurses alone," Ziva told him.

"I am making no promises."

"I'll bring you candy tomorrow," Abby whispered into Tony's ear so the doctor couldn't hear.

"Looking forward to it," Tony whispered back. The group left the room, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone.

Tony frowned, "What happened to my replacement?"

"Back at the office taking care of all the paper work," Gibbs answered.

"What happens to him now?"

"Well," Gibbs began, taking a step towards the bed, "He'll stay until you're ready to go back and then he'll be transferred somewhere."

"Lucky him," Tony grinned. "Guess you're still stuck with me?"

"Guess so," Gibbs turned towards the door. "You'll be here when I return?" He asked.

"I'll be fast asleep," Tony yawned. "But I'll be here," he reassured.


End file.
